All by my Lonesome
by cksalamander
Summary: Life isn't easy being a Schnee. Contending with the likes of teasing crushes, illicit hobbies and social anxiety, all while maintaining a perfect public image is no small feat. And unfortunately for her, Winter's struggles are only just beginning. Modern AU. Co-written by RealTerminal. -[On hiatus]-
1. Underling

If there was one thing that Winter Schnee hated more than Mondays, it was having to wake up early after a weekend spent staying up until the early hours of the morning. Too bad there was no way to get less sleep and still function properly.

With her head still buried in pillows, Winter reached over to her night table, fumbling for her scroll. As usual, the various items that covered the table's surface made things more difficult - she really needed to organize her stuff - but eventually she was able to locate it. Her alarm had not gone off yet, so perhaps there was still time for more sleep. Unfortunately when she tilted her head up turned the device on, she found that would not be the case.

**5:57 AM**

Winter let her head fall back onto her pillow, she sighed. _Son of a bitch_. Why was it that whenever she woke up before her alarm, it was always only by mere minutes? Such was a mystery that Winter doubted she would ever figure out. Well, whatever, it was time to get up.

Unfurling from the body pillow she was currently snuggled up to, Winter pulled herself up into a sitting position and stretched, letting out a yawn before looking down at the art-covered cushion with a smile.

"Morning Layla..."

Sadly Layla was unable to return the greeting, though at the same time that was probably a good thing. If there ever came a day when the body pillow _did_ talk back, Winter would immediately have herself committed. She was not crazy... _at least not yet_, just weird - Which was heavily enabled by her... _unusual_ group of friends. Especially considering they were the ones that originally showed her the website where she had purchased Layla a few months prior - as embarrassing as _that_ was. Though as bizarre as those individuals were - and as much as they could test her patience - they were still good people, and Winter would very likely be much lonelier than she already was without them. The only downside was that they were all located in Vale - which was four hours behind Atlas and across an ocean - so she had never actually _physically_ seen them, but judging from the fact that she did not exactly have any friends _in Atlas_, communicating through text was perfectly fine.

Unfortunately while Winter was lost in thought about her friends, she failed to notice that her alarm was still on, and upon it reaching six o'clock, it went off, causing her to let out a frightened yelp. Once she silenced the wretched device and calmed down a bit, she sighed, thanking the Maidens she lived alone. Throwing off her _Destiny Stay/Evening_ covers, Winter pulled herself out of bed, hissing as her bare feet made contact with the cold hardwood floor. _Damnit_. Why was it that even after living in this apartment for _several_ years, she _still_ had not looked into the possibility of getting some sort of carpet? Perhaps it was her anxiety, or at times crippling social awkwardness. Yes, that was probably it.

Making her way out of her bedroom and into the apartment's one bathroom, Winter turned on the shower. Now it was time to wait until the damn water actually heated up - Another thing she had not talked to someone about even after years in this apartment. Once she could see the steam beginning to collect on the glass, she stripped off her pink Chibi pyjamas and baby blue striped underwear, placed them onto the counter and stepped into the shower. Unfortunately, as much as Winter wanted to take her time to enjoy the pleasant heat of the water, it was a weekday, which meant she had to be _in and out_. She would sadly have to wait until the weekend before she could actually use it to _relax_... and not other untoward activities of course... That would be wasting water.

One quick shower later, Winter was back in her pyjamas - as well as her comfy-as-_hell_ plush cat slippers - and ready for breakfast. Similar to most other days, she did not even bother shaving her legs - nor anything else for that matter - considering there was an almost _zero_-percent chance of anyone seeing them anyway. Plus there was the added benefit of not having to deal with the sometimes _unbearable_ itchiness that came with shaving. Besides, the only time she ever had to pay attention to her appearance was at work - which was pretty much the only occasion where she ever left her apartment on a regular basis - and she only ever wore dress pants, so no worry there.

Heading into the kitchen and opening up the freezer, Winter pulled out one of the many bags of whole wheat bagels, removing one and tossing it into the microwave before setting up her coffee maker. Once it was defrosted, she moved it into the toaster and grabbed a plate, knife, glass for water, and of course, her absolute _favourite_ kind of spread; sweetened hazelnut with cocoa. While it was true that she had it as part of her breakfast almost every day, Winter could still not get enough of it... even though she was a twenty-seven-year-old woman. Once her bagel was ready, she transferred it to the plate, filled her glass with water and sat down to eat.

As Winter began to dig into her delicious meal, she pulled out her scroll, wondering what to do while she ate. Normally she would watch an episode or two of anime, or read some manga online, but she was feeling too lazy to go get her laptop, so she settled with doing something on her scroll. After a minute of skimming through the various social apps she used regularly and finding nothing interesting, she found herself at the messaging app _Harmony_ \- which was how she communicated with her friends in Vale every day. Most days she would keep their chat muted until she got home from work - considering who was in it and some of the topics they tended to discuss, she would not _dare_ open it there - but seeing as there was nothing else to do, she figured, why not? So she opened the app and navigated to their server, finding that once again, the name had been changed.

**Boob Box**

Oh how Winter could not _wait_ to learn how the server's owner came up with _that_ one. Opening up the main chat of _Boob Box_, she scrolled through some of the most recent messages. It seemed they were last arguing about... the superior type of chips? It seemed like that was the case... Well, at least it started out as such. Yeah, that sounded about right.

**Boob Box**  
**#main-chat**

**RoseButt**  
Of _course_ the best chip type is pringles!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Oof, pretty sure Velvs would dump you on the spot if she saw you saying that.

**RoseButt**  
I buy her too many doritos for that  
maybe she'd spank me :P

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Excuse me, that's _my_ job.  
And btw, you're also crazy for thinking Pringles could ever beat Tostitos.  
Plus, Velvs is too subby to spank your adorable ass.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Ladies please, _Lays_ is the superior chip type

**RoseButt**  
BOOORRRIIINNGG

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You've got shit taste dude.

**Theonesingleguy**  
You're just indoctrinated by big chip!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
And your tongue clearly hasn't actually touched any good chips.

**RoseButt**  
Or any good pussy!  
:3

**Kittysprinkles69**  
_Burn._

**Theonesingleguy**  
I refuse to dignify that with a response!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Because you don't have one virgin boy.

**RoseButt**  
_buuurrnn_

**Theonesingleguy**  
I feel very attacked right now

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Always on the receiving end with you.

**Theonesingleguy**  
It's the only way I get any

**RoseButt**  
Blakey can always get her strapon! :3

**Kittysprinkles69**  
;)

**Theonesingleguy**  
_Hard_ pass thanks

**RoseButt**  
8====D ()

**Theonesingleguy**  
_Can we please go back to chips?_

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Technically Doritos are multipurpose.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Uh  
What now?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
They are both a food item, and a tool for shoveling dip.

**RoseButt**  
He thought u meant somethin dirty Blakey ;P

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Of course he did, perv.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Says the one who constantly makes _title of your sex tape_ jokes!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You're just mad you've never _had_ a sex tape.

**Theonesingleguy**  
I'm gonna go to bed now

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Alone, I imagine.

**RoseButt**  
_BUUUUUURRRRRRRNNNNNN_

_FlowerPower is now online._

**FlowerPower**  
The superior type of chip is Doritos. In terms of quality, texture, taste, and variety of flavours. There is no other chip type that even comes close.  
Also the new season of LaLa's Outlandish Voyage is phenomenal. Highly recommend it.

_FlowerPower is now offline._

**RoseButt**  
cant argue with that

**Theonesingleguy**  
Trust me, you don't wanna

**Kittysprinkles69**  
So we're all in agreement that Doritos are the best?

**RoseButt**  
U know it

**Theonesingleguy**  
Yup.  
Now I'm going to bed

**Kittysprinkles69**  
And I'm off, to plow my mistress.

**RoseButt**  
wait wat

**Theonesingleguy**  
I think she means you  
Since the other two are asleep and stuff

**RoseButt**  
o ya  
cum on over!

As Winter finished reading through the chat - as well as finishing her bagel - she smiled. Those weirdos always had the strangest conversations. _And somehow they almost always ended with something sex-related_. Sadly that particular set of messages did not show her when the name of the server was changed or why, but no matter. She will be sure to ask one of them after work. Then Winter looked at the time. _Speaking of_... Getting up from the small table, she loaded her dishes into the dishwasher and took out a travel mug for her now-ready coffee and retreated back to her room to get changed. As usual - and as much as she hated it - she chose something simple; a light blue formal blouse and grey dress pants. Loose enough to allow for sitting at her desk comfortably, yet still tight enough to hug her curves - Because unlike Weiss, she actually _had_ curves. Winter might not give a single shit about her appearance while at home, but there were still a couple reasons she wanted to look good at work - not including professionalism. Yes, two gorgeous, beautiful, _stunning_ reasons... She could already feel herself getting nervous just thinking about them.

_Calm down_. Winter told herself as she lightly slapped both of her cheeks, trying to quell her increasing heart rate. _You're not even around either of them yet_! Sadly she could not help it. The mere thought of those two made her heart race with excitement. Their captivating eyes, their beautiful smiles, and good _gods_ their physiques. They were comparable to some of the anime figurines that Winter kept on her night table, and her shelves... and her dresser... and in the special display cases she had... She owned a lot of them.

Now she might not be the _fondest_ of the early mornings, late nights, and at times _tedious_ work that was part of her job at the Schnee Development Corporation - or SDC for short - but those two alone made it more than worth it. Hell, Winter would even mop the floors if it meant she got to see them just once per day. It was as if she was the main character in one of those slice-of-life anime she loved so much, and she was swooning over the hot popular characters rather than the childhood best friend... Except in Winter's case, she had no such childhood friend, or any other friends really, aside from those not in Atlas. But that was fine. Physically interacting with people was difficult anyway.

Though unfortunately Winter had to go to work, so having to deal with at least _some_ people was inevitable. And just like every other day, she was not at all looking forward to it.

* * *

Winter had a conflicted view of traffic.

On one hand, sitting in it was boring as hell and it brought the possibility of being late the work - which had not happened in all her time there and will _never_ happen if she can help it - but on the other, it also allowed for more time to listen to her anime soundtracks as loud as she wanted. Additionally, since no one could hear her, it meant she could sing along without fear of embarrassment - which was obviously something she could not and certainly _would not_ do while at her desk. Hell, Winter did not even _hum_ when there were other people around, lest they figure out what kind of music she was listening to. Now that was a definite _I would rather die_.

On the outside, Winter was a fairly professional woman, so under _no_ circumstances could she let _anyone_ learn of her... _hobby_. Not a single person outside the group chat she was a part of had any idea what her personal life was really like, not even her sister Weiss, nor her brother Whitley - whatever continent he was on - and _especially_ not her mother Willow, and she _very much_ intended to keep it that way. At this point, it was something she expected to take to her grave. After all, anime and manga was a Faunus-born culture, and she could not imagine what people would think if they learned that Winter _Schnee_ was involved in it. Actually no, she was likely much further than that, considering she slept with a double-sided body pillow every night - to which she _might_ tend to favour the... _lewder side_... It was not her fault that Layla was so hot in that skin-tight body suit!

But that was an entirely different discussion. Winter was just about to pull into the employee parking garage at the SDC and needed to... _professionalize_ herself for lack of a better word - Which essentially meant the singing had to stop and the music turned off. The garage was fairly sensitive to echoes, so she did not want there to be _any_ chance of hearing her music, especially considering that there were songs in her library that made Winter feel _very_ self-conscious about listening to. Though at the same time, she always felt self-conscious when listening to her music in public.

As Winter pulled up to the parking garage's entrance, she opened her window before reaching into her purse, taking out her employee ID and holding it up to the scanner. The machine's light quickly turned green and the metal gate opened, allowing her to enter. As always, she aimed to find a space as close to the surface as possible, as it resulted in less time having to walk through the dimly lit and frankly a bit creepy structure, but sadly her normal spot was taken. So she was forced to park in one that was lower down the first ramp. _Stupid motorcycle_.

Once parked in her _alternative_ spot, Winter shut off her little white car with a sigh. She hated it when there was another person parked in her space. Well, it was not exactly _her_ space, but she liked to think it was. After all, she did park there nearly every day, so it might as well have her name on it. Grabbing her purse and travel mug, she exited her car, quietly chuckling to herself. _Imagine that. My own designated parking spot... Maybe someday_.

As Winter made her way through the sizable garage - the SDC was a _massive_ company, so it was kind of needed - she glanced over at the set of executive parking spaces that was near the staff entrance, catching a glimpse of a certain expensive silver convertible that belonged to the CEO... who also happened to be her mother; Willow Schnee. It was a strange thought really, how her mother - who only a few years prior was a depressed alcoholic and married to one of the worst men out there - was the CEO of a multi-trillion-lien corporation, while Winter herself was merely part of the accounting department. Though to be fair, she _was_ offered the very same position first, but was a bit... _hesitant_ to take it due to her young age and... well, how it became vacant in the first place.

To make a long story short, her father Jacques was the previous CEO of the SDC, _ruling it with an iron fist_ as they say. Unfortunately that position was a _quite_ the stressful one, especially with his... _style_ of management, and he ended up having a heart attack... or several. The first few were _not that serious_ \- at least that was how he described them - but then they began to worsen, each one putting him in the hospital for a longer period of time than the last. But he always insisted on returning to work as soon as physically possible, even though that just made things worse. Jacques Schnee might have been a horrible father and husband - really just not a great man in general - but even he did not deserve that. Though as hard as he tried to avoid it, the rigours of age, rich diet and high temper soon caught up to him, and he ended up passing away.

Unfortunately for Winter, because the SDC is such a large corporation, it's board wasted no time with approaching her about taking over for her father - Which did make sense considering her mother was in absolutely no condition to run a company. She was honestly quite tempted, wanting to eventually change the SDC for the better, but at the same time it did not feel right, to be just... _given_ that role without having to work for it. So Winter ended up declining, deciding that she was going to make it there on her own. Then they tried Weiss... even though she was just entering university at that point, so of course she declined as well.

After that, the board did something that Winter did not at all expect; they asked _Willow_, the even by that time drunken and fairly depressed widow. Surprisingly she did not refuse, instead actually considering it and telling them to give her some time to think. And then a couple days later she accepted, just like that. But of course, that was not the most interesting part. No, _that_ came a few weeks later once she was officially CEO, where a newly alcohol-free Willow fired half of the board in a single stroke, and then proceeded to blackmail the rest into submission. All on her first day. That certainly turned heads pretty quickly. The world underestimated Willow, thinking that she was soft and weak, _dismantled_ by Jacques and alcoholism, and Winter was quite glad she proved them so wrong. Ever since the change in management, the SDC had been performing better than ever before, and the CEO was at the healthiest she had ever been in a long time. At least as far as Winter knew. Sadly she did not get to see her mother very often. Hell, even her boss - who was the CFO of the company - only saw her occasionally.

As Winter opened the employee entrance door, entered the building and began walking down the hallway, she let out a sigh. _Why is it that every time I see that damn car, I remind myself that I barely get to see my own mother? It shouldn't be that hard to just call, or even go see-_

"Mornin' Ice Princess."

...

_Son of a bitch._

Winter had been so occupied with thoughts of her mother that she completely forgot about what - or rather _who_ \- always awaited her every morning at the security checkpoint. Normally there was some... _mental preparation_ that was needed before entering the building, but sadly there was no time for that now. As much as she wanted to just retreat back out into the parking garage to get ready, that was impossible, seeing as she was standing nearly face to face with one of the SDC's security guards - More specifically one that Winter had known for quite some time, and quite possibly one of the hottest women she had ever seen in her entire life: Raven Branwen. Like most other days, she was alone. Though that was not surprising, as she once explained how all the other guards in her group hate the morning shift at the employee checkpoint due to the lack of people. Case in point, Winter and Raven were the only ones in the hallway, which definitely did not make this situation easy.

_Just play it cool and everything will be fine_. Winter attempted to tell herself, not that it was going to do any good anyway. She was _always_ a nervous wreck around that woman. _I can already feel my heart beginning to race... Just say something!_

"G-Good morning Miss Branwen." Winter greeted with a nervous smile. _Oh gods I stuttered again! What is wrong with me?_

Raven let out a chuckle. "I've told ya a hundred times, just Raven is fine."

Winter just nodded, rather nervously. That was very much easier said than done. Although, perhaps that would be a good way to _actually_ make some progress for the first time in... well, since they met. _So then make some progress_. Winter told herself. _But I can't just call her by her first name so nonchalantly! When that happens in anime it means the characters are really close! We're not there yet!_

"Alright, well, you know the drill." Raven began, gesturing to the metal detector and x-ray baggage scanner next to her. "Unless of course you wanna hang around down here with me."

As much as Winter attempted to fight it, she could not prevent her cheeks from heating up at the comment. _That would be nice... Damnit Winter control yourself_! If only that were possible. "Thank you for the offer, but I have my own work to do." _Wow, that actually sounded okay_. Raven just shrugged, walking back to the other side of the scanner as Winter began placing her things onto the conveyor belt - bag, shoes, belt, everything that had metal in it. Upon adding her travel mug to the pile, the older woman raised a brow. "Just my regular coffee." Winter informed, which thankfully seemed acceptable. She did not think she could handle another instance of Raven actually _tasting_ her coffee to make sure. It took more time than she would have liked to admit for her to drink from that mug again. _It was as if we indirectly kissed!_

"Nice earrings you got there. Never took you for an apple jewelry kind of gal." Raven complimented, causing Winter to blink in surprise. She had almost forgotten she put those on earlier. Weiss bought them for her a few years prior, to match the apple pendent that the younger sibling had received from their mother, who in turn got it from her father when she was her age.

"O-Oh, thank you, they were a gift." Winter explained with a small, nervous smile as she took the small studs out of her ears and placed them onto the conveyor belt with the rest of her belongings. Once she was sure she had not forgotten anything, Winter stepped in front of the metal detector to wait, while Raven watched the various items go through the x-ray scanner. As odd as it was to have this level of security for employees, the SDC was a massive corporation, and all it took was one employee with a grudge. After everything had gone through, Raven motioned for the younger woman to come through. Even though Winter had never once caused that stupid machine to go off, she was always nervous that one day she will. _Damn you paranoia._

After collecting all of her things from the conveyor belt, Winter bid Raven farewell and continued down the hallway. But before she could even make it past the security office, the security guard spoke up once more.

"Miss Schnee?" Came the sudden, stern call - that actually reminded Winter of her boss.

_Don't shudder, don't shudder, don't shudder, don't shudder! She only said your name_! Winter silently pled. Slowly turning around, she was met by an almost sly smirk from Raven, which only stood to make things worse. _I'm not dreaming am I?_

"Y-Yes?"

"It seems like you've forgotten something." Raven informed, raising a finger to beckon the younger woman closer.

That alone made Winter _hopefully-not-audibly_ swallow. What could she have forgotten? And since when had that woman _ever_ spoken in such a... _formal_ tone? Though if Winter was being completely honest, a part of her did not exactly care why. It was _really_ hot. As she hesitantly and fairly nervously walked back down the hallway toward Raven, she actually began to panic, her heart rate increasing while her mind filled with possibilities of what was about to happen. Did she forget something on the conveyor belt? Did Raven _want_ something? _Oh gods does she know? Am I about to get pulled into a kiss like in all those romance anime I've watched? I'm not ready for that!_

Once Winter was standing in front of Raven, within arms reach - which _certainly_ did not do anything to help quell her beating heart - time slowed to a crawl. She watched the older woman's hands raise, slowly growing closer to what could only hope yet also fear was her face. _This... is really happening_... Barely able to think straight, Winter did the only thing she could manage and shut her eyes, awaiting what came next. Unfortunately it was not what she imagined. Instead of feeling two strong hands on her face, she felt them slightly tugging at her collar. _Is she... unbuttoning my shirt... At work_? Winter had dreamed of this moment for... well, a while, but she _never_ could have imagined that it would happen at _work_ of all places! Curious to see what was happening, the younger woman slightly opened her eyes and found Raven actually doing _up_ the second-to-top button of her blouse. Had that... been undone the entire time?

Stepping back, Raven smirked once more. "Can't have those wrinkly old businessmen peeking at your lingerie now can we?" She wondered with a wink.

Winter's cheeks immediately flushed in response. _Oh my gods oh my gods, Raven just saw my lingerie! It's much too early for that! But still... I wonder what she thought of them... No no never mind that now! How could I be so stupid?! Leaving more than one button open like that, showing off my- Wait, I'm not wearing lingerie... Then why_... Looking back up at Raven, Winter noticed she was still smirking. _Oh, that part was a joke_.

"Thank you f-for fixing it..." Winter managed, unable to maintain eye contact.

Raven's smirk shifted into a smile. "No prob. If I let the CEO's daughter walk around with more than one button undone, I'd be a pretty shitty security guard."

_I... suppose there's some truth to that..._

"Anywho, you have yourself a fine day, and I'll see ya later." Raven added with a wave as she headed back to sit in the chair next to the x-ray scanner.

"You too." Winter managed before turning to continue down the hallway toward the elevators. While she walked - and her heart rate began to slow back down to normal - she could not help but smile. Even though Raven loved to tease and joke around, she was still a nice woman. After all, who else would actually inform Winter that she had left a second button undone? Well, aside from her boss of course.

Then a realization came.

_Wait, did Raven actually see my bra?_

* * *

Why was it that every single time Winter used one of the SDC elevators - even when empty at first - it _always_ became filled by the time she arrived at her floor? Honestly she was surprised that her ass had not been groped by some creepy businessman like in those... certain animated videos that should _definitely_ not be on her mind while at work.

Once the elevator finally reached what was essentially the _managers' floor_, Winter quickly maneuvered though the crowded metal box and - along with a few other people - stepped off. Like every other day, she wasted no time heading through the near-maze of cubicles, while of course ensuring that no eye contact was made with anyone. She wanted nothing more than to be able to cut out as much human interaction as possible while at work. Thankfully Winter soon arrived at the cluster of larger-than-average cubicles that was her department. Well, it was not exactly a _department_ per se, rather a small team of people tasked with assisting the CFO with the _vast_ scope of duties she had due to the sheer size of the SDC. It was almost like a miniaturized version of the accounting division itself, with each person responsible for a different section in directing the company's overall finance. The CFO had hand-picked each one of them herself, because they do what she needed, comfortably, at their own pace, and most importantly, _properly_. Winter specifically had the job of assisting her boss in the maintaining of financial records - a position that was perfect for her as it did not require any sort of cooperation with other people. She got to essentially space out until her lunch break, because everything she did came naturally to her. Sure it was not the most _exciting_ job in the world, but she was good at it, and she enjoyed the field. So at least there was that.

Taking a seat at the desk that sat within her honestly slightly oversized cubicle - plenty of space for paperwork, filing cabinets and such as her boss described - Winter placed her purse and coffee-filled travel mug onto the wooden surface before fishing out a pair of white headphones from the former and plugging them into her scroll. She had to admit, one of the best parts - if not _the_ best part - of this job was the ability to listen to the multitude of anime soundtracks that filled her music library while she worked. It was... helpful to say the least, allowing her to just tune out the rest of the world while she worked on autopilot. Unsurprisingly, it took quite a long time for Winter's boss to convince her that listening to music on the job was okay.

Navigating her music library and selecting one of her favourite anime openings, Winter turned on her computer and got to work. As the songs pleasant tone filled her ears, she smiled. _What a great way to start the day_. Unfortunately she did not get very far into her work before feeling a firm tap on her shoulder, causing her entire body to stiffen like a board out of fear. If there was one problem that stemmed from listening to music at work, it was the fact that it was nearly impossible to get her attention without nudging her. After a couple seconds, Winter took a shaky breath, pausing her music and taking out her headphones before slowly turning to find none other than her _exceptionally_ attractive boss: Glynda Goodwitch.

"G-Good morning Miss. Goodwitch." Winter managed after a moment. _Sweet Maidens she's wearing that black pencil skirt again- No, bad! I shouldn't be gawking at my boss! At least not while she's looking_... Quickly shifting her gaze back up, she noticed her boss appeared to be waiting. _And now she's staring at me... Wait did she just say something? She said something didn't she? Oh gods what did she say?_

"I-I'm sorry?"

Glynda merely smiled in response. "What I _said_ was, I apologize for interrupting your work so early, but I would like to see you in my office."

_Oh boy_. If she was not nervous before, she _definitely_ was now. Getting called into the boss' office so early in the morning was _never_ a good sign. Though at the same time, it was not like she had a choice. "Of course." Winter managed. Locking her computer and unplugging her headphones, she placed them onto her desk before hesitantly raising from her chair. _Please gods let it be for something good_. She thought to herself as she began following Glynda. Unfortunately Winter barely made it two steps before her gaze wandered down to her boss' rear. _Good gods what a backside... Has it gotten bigger from the last time I... observed it? Surely-_ Sadly Winter was unable to finish her thought, as it was quickly interrupted by the side of her cubicle, due to a certain... _distraction_.

Likely hearing the impact, Glynda slowed to a halt, turning to find her employee lightly rubbing her side. "Are you alright Miss Schnee?"

"Y-Yes." Winter quickly nodded. _Gods I'm such an idiot_! "I just... stumbled a bit." She lied, not about to admit tha she was staring at her boss' gorgeous posterior... again. Thankfully that seemed acceptable, as Glynda soon turned around to continue walking, with Winter close behind. Though of course - as hard as she tried - she was unable to resist peeking down a few times at the older woman's skirt-covered rear as they walked. While it was true that Winter might not be one that quite... _enjoyed_ the idea of... _admiring the rear_ so to speak, she certainly would not object to indulging if Glynda were to ever ask. A slight smile then appeared on her face. _Yeah, like that would ever happen._

The rest of the walk to Glynda's office was relatively quiet, with neither woman deciding to speak as they made their way through the maze of cubicles. Upon arriving at her office door, the older woman opened it, stepping aside and gesturing for Winter to enter. _Please gods let it be for something good_. Hesitantly walking into the spacious room, she was met with the feint smell of freshly brewed coffee - thanks to the coffee maker that her boss kept in the corner. It was probably Winter's favourite part about the meticulously organized office. Well, not including being able to spend time with Glynda of course. There was nothing else that could even compare... except maybe spending time with Raven. That was a close second, due to the constant teasing Winter had to endure when around that woman.

The sudden sound of the office door softly closing pulled Winter from her thoughts. She went to turn around, still wondering why exactly Glynda had called her in, but quickly noticed that they were in fact not alone. Sitting on one of the two couches located in the middle of the room was an admittedly quite beautiful woman with crimson red hair, who was currently nursing a cup of coffee. Upon noticing Winter looking at her, she offered a warm smile. _What a pretty smile..._ Had she been there the whole time?

Leading Winter over to the redhead - who placed her mug onto the coffee table and stood as the pair approached - Glynda gestured between the two with a smile. _Gods she's so beautiful_... "Winter, this young woman is Pyrrha Nikos. Starting today, she will be working under you." Glynda explained.

_Wait, what?_

Taking a step forward, Pyrrha smiled and extended her hand, which Winter took without much hesitation, as years of etiquette training took over. She was surprised to find the girl slightly taller than herself... and resisted the urge to examine her legs. "It's very nice to meet you Miss Schnee. You can call me Pyrrha."

"And you as well... Pyrrha." Winter somehow managed without stuttering, unable to believe what she just heard. _She's... going to be working under me? Like an employee? I'm not ready to have my own employee! What is Glynda thinking?_

"I scouted Miss Pyrrha from a rather long selection of potentials." Glynda continued. "It's been some time since my department saw young talent, and I trust you will help her feel at home."

_Glynda... trusts me? Glynda trusts me! Now just don't screw this up_. Winter told herself before turning to her boss. "Of course Miss Goodwitch." She then had to resist beaming at the pleased smile Glynda graced her with, before turning to regard Pyrrha.

"I don't expect productivity so soon, consider today your orientation. If you have any questions do not hesitate to ask Miss Schnee or myself."

"I won't. Thank you very much Miss Goodwitch." Pyrrha nodded.

"You're most welcome." Glynda acknowledged. "Now as much as I would like to show you around, I have a meeting to attend, so if it is alright with her, I will leave you in the very capable hands of Miss Schnee."

"I can handle it, Miss Goodwitch." Winter assured as best she could.

"I know." Glynda smiled. Then a slight smirk made its way onto her face. "You remember your initial experiences in this office, do you not?"

"I try not too." Winter coughed, blushing at the memory. Anxiety attacks were not pleasant, especially with an audience.

"Then I'm sure you will do everything you can to make Miss Nikos feel welcome." Glynda added.

"I will Miss Goodwitch." Winter promised. _Gods this is starting to feel like a lot of responsibility..._

"Then I will leave you to it." Glynda nodded before leading Winter and Pyrrha out of her office. Once outside, she bid them farewell and headed off to her meeting, leaving the two younger women alone in somewhat awkward silence. At least it was for Winter. Unfortunately it was soon made worse by a realization.

_Wait a minute. I have a subordinate now... an employee... Which means I'm actually in charge of a human being for the foreseeable future... and I am not prepared for this in the absolute slightest... Oh gods what am I going to do? Why did Glynda pick me of all people for this?_

"Miss Schnee? Are you alright?" Came Pyrrha's voice, pulling Winter from her panic-filled thoughts.

"O-Oh, yes..." Winter tried to assure - though Pyrrha seemed like a smart woman, so she doubted she bought it. "Um, right this way..." Leading the younger woman along the edge of the near-wall of cubicles, she attempted to remain as calm as she possibly could. In all her time at the SDC, Winter had never _once_ been responsible for anyone else besides herself. It was one of the things she loved about her job, being able to just keep to herself and focus on her work. At least for the most part. There were still the weekly meetings with the team, as well as times where Glynda or other employees needed her assistance, but other than that, Winter was left to her own devices. Sadly it did not appear that that would be the case today.

"So... if you don't mind my asking, how long have you worked here Miss Schnee?" Pyrrha wondered, walking a bit faster to meet the other woman's pace.

_Damnit_. Winter tried not to wince. She had been hoping the pair could at least walk in silence... Pyrrha seemed like a nice girl, but she was still a _new_ person, and Winter had never been quite _good_ with dealing with those. "Just over six years." She simply informed, keeping her gaze forward. _See? That wasn't so bad. Talking to new people is totally easy! Just focus on work and everything will be fine_. Unfortunately for her, that question was not the only one the redhead had.

"And how long have you been under Miss Goodwitch?" Pyrrha inquired.

_Sadly never_. Winter thought to herself, as there was no way in hell she would ever even _think_ about saying that out loud. "About a year and a half." She replied, still unable to meet Pyrrha's gaze as the pair approached the end of a rather long hallway. Along one side was a line of rooms - viewable from outfacing glass walls - the other a stretch of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the beautiful city of Atlas. At least Winter imagined it was for Pyrrha, as that was a view she herself had seen hundreds of times. Turning toward the other woman, Winter took a deep breath. _It's only one person, there's nothing to worry about. You can do this. Glynda knows you can... Wait a second, that's it! Just channel your inner onee-san! That always works! Well, so long as you don't accidentally say ara-ara again... You remember what happened last time you did that... Thank the Maidens Weiss didn't understand it_... So Winter cleared her throat. _Treat her like Weiss, treat her like Weiss, treat her like... maybe don't hug her, that would be weird._

"These are the floor's conference rooms, the seventh of which is used for our weekly team meetings." Winter explained, using as much of an authoritative voice as she could muster. "Their main purpose is for status checks, seeing how our work is going, as well as any updates from Miss Goodwitch herself, but they're also used for feedback gathering, to highlight problems with the office and individuals to make sure things are running smoothly. Miss Goodwitch is all about efficiency, so if there's anything that could affect is - be it positively or negatively - she wants to know as soon as possible."

_It's working! Keep this up and you'll be done and back to your desk in no time_.

"There are also smaller rooms scattered around this floor if you need one for a more private use, such as scroll calls or one-on-one meetings." Winter added.

"I see." Pyrrha acknowledged. "How many people are part of this _team_ that we're on?"

"Six, not including Miss Goodwitch herself." Winter informed.

Judging from the expression that appeared on her face, Pyrrha appeared to be surprised by that information. "And... how large is the whole accounting department?"

"Well, I'm unsure of the exact number, but the last time I checked it was just over three thousand." Winter answered before turning to continue the tour, with an awestruck Pyrrha close behind. Unfortunately she could not tell what was going through her head, but she was fairly certain she just accidentally made the job sound a _bit_ more intimidating.

The pair's next stop was the break room - at least the one closest to their cluster of cubicles. As far as break rooms went at the SDC, this one was fairly standard. With frosted-glass walls separating it from the rest of the office, the large area was equipped with several tables - a couple of which had occupants - as well as two fridges, a large sink, a counter that spanned the whole one side of the room, and even an expensive coffee and tea maker, complete with a cupboard full of identical mugs. Glancing over at Pyrrha, Winter could not help but slightly smile, as the other woman looked _quite_ intrigued by said coffee maker.

"I believe this room is fairly self-explanatory, but just in case you're wondering; you're free to use the coffee maker so long as you don't damage it, and you can store your lunch in either of the fridges if you choose to bring one - just make sure to label it." Winter explained. "Though I would recommend at least _trying_ some of the food from the cafeteria. It has its own floor, so there are a lot of places to choose from."

"I'll be sure to take a look one of these days." Pyrrha noted. "I forgot there was one so I ended up bringing some leftovers from a couple days ago."

"Not to worry. There will be plenty of time to try all the food the SDC has to offer." Winter assured... even though after six years she had _still_ not done exactly that.

The pair's next and final stop was Winter's own cubicle. _Because knowing where her superior sits is probably a good idea... And that's still a weird thing to think about. I'm someone's superior_! At least it was the last stop as far as Winter could think of. There was not much a point to show Pyrrha the cafeteria or recreational floors, since those were pretty easy to find. Once in front of the work space, Winter turned to face the younger woman with a smile. "And this is where I sit. So if you ever need any help, or have any questions, don't be afraid to ask."

_Nailed it. I say that warrants a cup of noodles later._

Pyrrha offered a warm smile in response. "Thank you Miss Schnee."

As much as Winter tried not to focus on it, she could not help but notice how pretty of a smile Pyrrha had. Being around other people was one thing, but interacting with _pretty women_ was always quite a challenge. _Curse you gay thoughts! Just treat her like Weiss and everything will be fine_. "O-Of course, you're most welcome Pyrrha." She nervously acknowledged.

_Damnit!_

Clearing her throat, Winter attempted to re-channel _her inner onee-san_. "So, do you have further questions before we return to work?" She inquired.

Pyrrha did not respond immediately, as she was likely in thought. "Yes actually, are there any important resources I should know about?"

Not it was Winter's turn to think for a moment. "Well, there's also a gym and recreational space that make up the floor above the cafeteria if that's something that interests you." She explained... while she herself had no desire to work out in public, nor any friends at work to _hang out_ with. "The SDC also has partnerships with a good number of restaurants in Atlas, so there are places with SDC-employee discounts all over the city, as well as owns several apartment complexes that can provide accommodations for employees that need them."

"Oh, I'm aware of the apartments Miss Schnee." Pyrrha politely interjected. "When I moved here for this job, the company provided me with a rather nice living space for a very affordable price."

"You moved here? From where?" Winter wondered before realizing something. "If you don't mind sharing of course." _Don't be rude to your new employee, baka!_

"Mistral." Pyrrha answered. "I have to admit, it was quite the move, but so far it's been worth it."

Winter offered a slight smile. "That's good to hear Pyrrha." A bit of silence followed, which was _very_ awkward for Winter, so she did the only thing she could think of. _Abort. Abort_! "Anyways, do let me know if you need anything. You know where I'll be." _Hopefully that's enough_. Unfortunately it was not. Turning around, Winter only managed to take one step before the younger woman spoke up once again.

"Miss Schnee?"

_Shit_. Spinning back around, Winter attempted to smile for her new employee. "Yes?"

"I, um, don't exactly know what I should be doing..." Pyrrha admitted. "I only got the chance to see my cubicle before Miss Goodwitch led me to her office."

_Son of a bitch. Why didn't Glynda give her any work to do? I don't wanna be responsible for someone else_! "I see." Winter managed to acknowledge. _Oh gods what can she do? Wait, I've got it_! "Well... I have to make a quick visit to the washroom, so why don't you get familiar with your work space? And we can discuss your duties once I return." _Please work please work please work!_

Thankfully Pyrrha seemed to accept that, as she smiled in response. "That sounds good Miss Schnee. If you don't already know, my desk is just over there." She noted, gesturing to the end of their team's cluster of cubicles.

"Okay, I'll be right back." Winter nodded before passing her employee and walking as quickly as she possible could - without making it seem obvious - to one of women's washrooms on the floor. Thankfully it was not too far from her cubicle, so it was always easy to get to, both for when she had to relieve herself and when she needed somewhere to calm down. Whether it be from an anxiety attack, or in this case, exhaustion from _being Winter Schnee._

Making her way to the farthest end of the washroom, Winter entered the last stall and plopped down onto the toilet. As her heartbeat finally began to slow, she let out a sigh. Even though Pyrrha was an exceptionally nice girl - and a fairly pretty one at that - Winter still much preferred to be left to alone. It was easier that way, more comfortable. Burying her face in her hands, she sighed again. Sometimes she wished the person that everyone else saw could be her real self, rather than being forced into a mold of what other people wanted her to be. Having to essentially pretend that she was as confident and strong as Glynda or her mother was extremely mentally taxing, and not to mention it just fueled the anxiety she suffered from.

If only Winter could have had more time to prepare for this new employee... Sadly it was a bit too late for that. Pyrrha might have been pleasant, but that interaction went on for so long! And as calm as Winter probably seemed on the outside, she was floundering mentally, trying her hardest not to _break character_ as it were.

_I wish Glynda or Raven were here... with their arms wrapped around me... and my head nuzzling into their chest... That would sure be nice... Too bad neither of them know about my feelings, so none of that's possible._

Winter sighed once more, sitting back up straight to begin adjusting herself.

_This is going to be a long day._

* * *

_Finally. Home at last._

**Boob Box**  
**#main-chat**

_Animelover123 is now online._

**Animelover123**  
Hello all.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Afternoon Heather.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Sup

**RoseButt**  
Heather! Whaddap ma sista! We missed u last nite!

_Ah, the usual suspects._

**Animelover123**  
And I would have _loved_ to be online, but sadly I had work today. It is a Monday after all.

**RoseButt**  
oh oh any gossip?

**Animelover123**  
Well, it was a long day, I can tell you that much.  
I also received an underling this morning, which is... certainly something. Especially since I only learned of it today.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
_Kinky._

**RoseButt**  
scale of 1-10 go!

**Theonesingleguy**  
What's her name?

**Animelover123**  
Why must everything be about sex with you Blake?  
I'd say an 8.  
Her name is Pyrrha.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Sex is the meaning of life.

**Animelover123**  
And also the majority of yours it seems.

**RoseButt**  
oooooohh wats she like?

**Animelover123**  
Well she's a nice girl. Polite, friendly, and very hard-working once I actually managed to figure out something for her to do.  
Having an employee is hard!

**Theonesingleguy**  
Wait, like _Nikos_ Pyrrha?

**Animelover123**  
Yes... how did you know?

**Theonesingleguy**  
She was the Pumpkin Pete's mascot a few years ago, I thought she was going to the olympics or somethin

_Pyrrha in the Olympics? Never could've imagined that. I'll have to ask her about it one of these days._

**RoseButt**  
O ya I remember her! Shes cute!  
but they did somethin to PPs and I don't like it anymore

**Theonesingleguy**  
I still like it.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You would like putting PP in your mouth.

**Animelover123**  
He'd certainly be the only one here.

**RoseButt**  
I dunno, Ren and all

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Truly a specimen that one.

**Theonesingleguy**  
I resent these implications

**Animelover123**  
You could always try inviting him into your... whatever you call it.

**RoseButt**  
I tried!  
He said no :(

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Because Nora would've killed him and then slaughtered us if he even _thought_ about saying yes.

**Theonesingleguy**  
And then herself for depriving herself of his amazing cooking

**Kittysprinkles69**  
And cocking.

**RoseButt**  
Ah beat me by like 2 secs!

**Theonesingleguy**  
Guess this is a first for Blake coming first.

**Animelover123**  
LOL

**Kittysprinkles69**  
At least I _get_ to cum.

**RoseButt**  
_oof_

**Animelover123**  
My vibrator is perfectly capable of helping me achieve that, thank you very much.

**Theonesingleguy**  
If only fleshlights weren't so fuckin weird

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You could always borrow mine.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Wait what

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Long story short: it was a prank gift from Nora.  
She thought I could use it on my favourite strap-on, as _it's practically attached to me_ as she described.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Ah  
Yeah that makes sense

**RoseButt**  
currently a makeshift pen holder

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Perfect stress testing.

**Animelover123**  
Ouch.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Well not everyone can be as monstrous as Ren!

**RoseButt**  
_sigh_

**Animelover123**  
_Monstrous?_  
Just how... _endowed_ is he?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
More like the perfect balance of length and girth.

**RoseButt**  
Nora is _so_ lucky

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Well then, I could always buy a bigger strap-on ;)

**RoseButt**  
_Oh gods yes_  
_split me in half kitty cat_

**Theonesingleguy**  
Please don't start.

**Animelover123**  
I'd prefer it if you did not hemorrhage internally Ruby.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Talk dirty baby.

**Animelover123**  
Excuse me, you know I'm taken Blake.

**RoseButt**  
pillows dont count Heather!

**Animelover123**  
I wasn't referring to Layla you boob!

**Theonesingleguy**  
Neither do vibes.

**Animelover123**  
I wasn't referring to that either!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Does that mean you actually made some progress with your boss or that security guard?

**Animelover123**

no

**RoseButt**  
grab life by the pussy!

**Theonesingleguy**  
Or balls

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Or in Heather's case, let life grab _her_ by the pussy.

**RoseButt**  
_Spread em girlfriend!_

**Kittysprinkles69**  
And if that doesn't work, let us spread them for you.  
;) ;) ;)

**RoseButt**  
Blakeys _incredible_ with her tongue!

**Animelover123**  
I shall keep that in mind.

**RoseButt**  
thats what u say every time!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
She's right. You should either make a move on one of those women or come take a little visit to Vale.  
Let us _rock your world._

**Animelover123**  
Unlike you, I have a career.

**RoseButt**  
u could take a vacation!

**Animelover123**  
I am the backbone of my office.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Even backbones need a break sometimes Heather.

**Animelover123**  
I will sleep when I'm dead.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Does that extend to sleeping _with_ someone?  
;P

**Animelover123**  
Prospects are slim.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
And by that you mean you can't gather the courage to ask out either of your crushes.

**Animelover123**  
Anxiety is a brick wall with spikes on top.  
Except the spikes are made of doubts and self loathing.  
The bricks are how wrong everything can go.  
And the cement is crushed hopes and dreams.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You'll never know unless you try.

**RoseButt**  
Ya! Take that leap of faith!

**Animelover123**  
Leaps of faith are scary, because of the falling and hurting.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You're right, but hurting and knowing is better than uncertainty.

**RoseButt**  
and besides! If the stuff with them doesn't wrk out, ur always welcome to join us! ;P

**Animelover123**  
I am seven years older than both of you.

**RoseButt**  
And Blakey has a mommy kink she'd like to explore!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Just because I _may_ have drunkenly confessed that I wanted to bang your mother doesn't mean I have a mommy kink.

**Animelover123**  
I believe that is the very definition of a _mommy kink_.

**RoseButt**  
SEE BLAKEY  
MOMMY KINK  
anywho, if u ever feel like havin some fun, feel free to give us a call! ;)

**Animelover123**  
Noted.

**Theonesingleguy**  
And here I thought you guys were _at capacity._

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Candidates are pre-selected, no more openings.

**RoseButt**  
dont worry Jaune! there's a girl out there for u!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Or at least a sock.

**Animelover123**  
Or perhaps a nice body pillow with a cute anime girl on it.

**Theonesingleguy**  
You all suck.

_Perhaps I should think about acquiring some dinner soon._

_Chamilia is now online._

**Chamilia**  
Hey guys!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
_Well hello hello._  
How was your date little lady?

**Chamilia**  
It was great! The rain prevented us from going on the picnic, which kinda sucked, but we still had just as good of a time staying in!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Oh yeah? What'd you end up doing instead?

**Chamilia**  
I mean it wasn't anything _super_ romantic, just a little makeshift indoor picnic and a movie.

**RoseButt**  
did ya cuddle?

**Chamilia**  
Maybe a little bit. ^-^

**RoseButt**  
ah u guys are so cute!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Absolutely adorable.  
Once again, I've got 2 words for you; _You're welcome._

**Chamilia**  
Thank yoouu!

**Animelover123**  
What's she thanking you for Blake?

**RoseButt**  
Blakey set her and Sun up!

**Animelover123**  
Oh did she? Is there a story behind that?

**Chamilia**  
Oh something like that.  
Why don't you tell it _Blakey?_

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Alright, if you say so.  
Up until a month... ish ago, Ilia had never been with a guy before, and she was telling me how she was interested in _trying_. So a couple days later I set up a little _trial date_ type thing with her and Sun. Of course I attended just in case things didn't go well, but Sun's a great guy so I had nothing to worry about. Those two hit it off so well I swear I saw fireworks.  
And _ta da_, here we are.

**Chamilia**  
I think you forgot something.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Hm... Nope. Don't think I did.

**Chamilia**  
You sure?  
Because I could've _sworn_ you ended up leaving me alone with him to go bang Velvet.

**RoseButt**  
_gasp_  
Without me? D:

**Animelover123**  
Ouch. That's cold Blake.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
I'll make it up to you later ;)  
And no, I had go _tend_ to a very bored and _very_ horny bunny.

**Chamilia**  
You still ditched me!  
I was so nervous!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
A necessary sacrifice for the sake of love.  
Plus it still worked out, so we're even.

**Chamilia**  
That's not the point!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Does there need to be?  
:P

_MonkeyBoi is now online._

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Speaking of...

**MonkeyBoi**  
Blake. Dude. _Dude._

**Kittysprinkles69**  
What up lover boy? Have fun on your date?

**MonkeyBoi**  
Fun doesn't even _begin_ to describe it  
_How come you didn't tell me about her tongue?_

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Sounds like you didn't last very long.

**Chamilia**  
SUN!

**MonkeyBoi**  
Oh...  
hey babe...  
didnt realize this was the group chat...

**Animelover123**  
Nice job Sun.

**RoseButt**  
_slow claps_

**MonkeyBoi**  
I mean... it's true

**Chamilia**  
YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO TELL EVERYONE!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
We were all going to find out soon enough anyway.  
So how did lunch and a movie turn into what I can only imagine was a 30 second blowjob?

**Animelover123**  
I imagine curiosity.

**Chamilia**  
None of your business!  
And it wasn't 30 seconds!

**MonkeyBoi**  
Yeah!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Oh yes, my mistake.  
_23 seconds_.

**MonkeyBoi**  
-_-

A couple minutes passed by with no messages, so Winter decided to pull up her favourite anime website. _My my, so many options_... Though before she could choose one, a familiar pinging noise drew her attention back to the group chat.

**Chamilia**  
... Cum tastes like shit.  
I mean, I don't understand how some girls can _enjoy_ it.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Yeah it's diet based.  
Eat more pineapples Sun.

**MonkeyBoi**  
But I'm allergic to pineapples!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Well if you ever want Ilia to enjoy _tasting that banana of yours_, you're gonna have to figure something out.

**Chamilia**  
BLAKE!

_Okay_, this conversation was getting a little too weird. It was time for Winter to have dinner.

_Maybe I should order pizza tonight._

* * *

**Author's Note**: Thanks for reading! Super _super_ excited to start this one!

As always - at least for those who've read my stuff before - your feedback fuels me!


	2. Revelation

As Winter quickly stepped off the elevator and made her way into the SDC's exceptionally large cafeteria, she began surveying the vast number of possible options for food.

_Now what shall I have for lunch today?_

_Probably the same thing you have practically every day._

_Or I could have something different!_

_But you won't._

_I- ... Yeah... Damnit._

Part of her somewhat hated to admit it, but that was a fairly accurate statement. While individuals such as Ruby or Blake lived rather... _dynamic_ lives, Winter was a woman who _very much_ preferred routine over variety. She was a lot more comfortable that way. Once Winter found something she liked, she stuck with it. Sure, it may not be the most _exciting_ lifestyle, but it meant she always knew what to expect. At least for the most part... and until recently.

To say the prior day was a bit of a roller coaster was _quite_ the understatement, and Winter regretted not talking about it more with her friends online later that night. It was one thing to have a busy day due to a large amount of work, but to be responsible for another person was something else entirely. She not only had to worry about her own work, but Pyrrha's as well. Having an employee was difficult! Why did Glynda pick _her_ of all people? Winter was such a socially awkward mess of a human being! Of course her boss was not _fully_ aware of that, so it was not like she could really use that excuse... Damnit! On paper Winter was the perfect person to have an employee! While it was true she may not have been working under Glynda for as long as some of the others on the team, her overall job performance was much better. So it made sense for her to be given an underling... not taking into account her near-crippling social anxiety of course. _Well on the bright side, Pyrrha's very likely the best possible person I could've asked for... So that's something._

Once Winter had bought and retrieved her lunch - which like most other days consisted of Kagoshima Ramen and a bottle of water - she made her way through the sea of occupied tables, hoping to find a small one that was vacant. There was a time where she had tried to _claim_ a table for herself by sitting at it every day, but sadly that plan quickly died as her spot was continuously taken. _Oh well. So long as I can manage to sit alone, I'll be happy. That was I'll get to read some Fanfiction while I eat-_

"Miss Schnee!"

_And... I guess not._

Slowing her pace and surveying the area around her, Winter attempted to locate the source of the voice. Fortunately that did not take along at all, as she soon spotted a now-familiar head of vibrant red hair at a nearby table, its owner waving her over with a smile. It seemed as though Pyrrha had spotted her while on her own lunch break... _Shit_. As honestly pleasant as the redhead was to be around - even for Winter - she would have still preferred to eat alone, as it was the only real break she had during the day. And she liked to use that time to read the Fanfictions she followed, since even if someone saw her, she could easily just play it off as a regular book.

_Alright, you know what to do_. Winter told herself, taking a deep breath as she began approaching her employee. _Just use your inner onee-san and everything will be fine. It worked yesterday! So it has to work today... right_? Upon reaching the table, Pyrrha offered a warm smile, gesturing for Winter to join her. Seeing no other choice, she offered a _hopefully-not-visually_ nervous smile of her own. "Thank you." She acknowledged before placing her tray of food across from the other woman's - a partially eaten and moderately-sized chicken Caesar salad paired with what appeared to be some kind of tea - and hesitantly followed her in sitting down. Once the pair had taken their seats, Winter noticed that the trays of food were not the only things in front of them, as a white binder that was quite well-known to her sat open next to the redhead's meal: the employee manual of the SDC. An admittedly large collection of everything an employee needed to know that was not department-specific - benefits, guidelines, policies, and procedures. It actually caused a small smile to grace her features. Since almost day _one_ of Winter's time at the SDC, she had had that handbook memorized, as information management was one of her specialties - one of the reasons she was so good at her job - so it was almost... _cute_ to see a newly hired employee reading it for the first time. _How kawaii..._

Seemingly noticing the older woman staring at the binder, Pyrrha let out a small sigh. "I do apologize for not already having this read Miss Schnee, but due to a very... _extensive_ and frankly rather disappointing scroll call with my parents last night, I was unable to find the time." She admitted as the pair began eating their respective meals.

_Oishi..._

Shaking the urge to bring a hand up to her cheek and grin, Winter looked at her employee. _Inner onee-san, inner onee-san, you can do this_! She managed to offer a smile. "It's quite alright Pyrrha. You're not expected to memorize the entire manual after only a single day. Just make sure you know the content from chapters three, four and nine first, which are the human resources policies, code of conduct, and the procedures regarding health, safety and security respectively. The rest, while still important, can come afterward." She explained, not even glancing over at the binder. _Absolutely nailed it_.

Pyrrha blinked in response, actually looking surprised and a bit impressed with how easily her higher-up recalled information from the manual. "Of course Miss Schnee. Thank you for the recommendation."

"It's no problem. I'm here to help after all." Winter assured before the two resumed eating. It was not until a few bites in that she realized that there was something Pyrrha said that she had not addressed. _What exactly had she meant by... disappointing? Should I ask? No, no... it's none of my business. But she did bring it up... Does that mean she wants me to ask? Or did she unintentionally mention it? Or maybe she said it on purpose but only because I'm her supervisor... Gods damnit humans are so complicated! Okay, perhaps I should just casually ask, and if she doesn't want to share, then she doesn't want to share. That sounds easy enough_. Taking a quiet deep breath, Winter looked back up at Pyrrha, who had gone back to reading the manual, likely due to the silence between them. "I-If you don't mind my asking, what did you mean by a... _disappointing_ scroll call?" _Damn you stutter!_

Pyrrha smiled, sadly, though somehow no less vibrantly. "My parents don't quite... _agree_ with my change in careers."

"And... what did you switch from?" Winter hesitantly inquired. _Oh gods I hope I'm not being rude right now._

"Competitive athletics." Pyrrha answered.

Winter's eyes widened a bit at the response. "How exactly did you go from athletics to a job such as this?"

A little warmth entered Pyrrha's smile as she shrugged. "I've always had a knack for numbers. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy my fitness routine, but the pressure to succeed was threatening my mental well-being."

_Boy doesn't that sound familiar_. Winter thought to herself. "I'm sorry you had to experience that. I... know very well of a similar kind of pressure to succeed." She admitted, her gaze falling.

"I can imagine..." Pyrrha acknowledged. "I must be honest, when Miss Goodwitch told me whom I would be working under, I wasn't quite sure what to expect."

Winter slightly furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"

"I mean no offence, I was just... _concerned_, that I would be under greater scrutiny, that you would be strict..." Pyrrha swallowed nervously, a faint tinge appearing in her cheeks. "What I mean is, I enjoy working under you, I won't let you down."

A small blush made its way onto Winter's face at the compliment. "O-Oh, t-thank you Pyrrha. I... appreciate your honesty."

"I appreciate your company." Pyrrha smiled. "It has been some time since I had lunch with... well, anyone really."

"And I as well." Winter admitted. _Maybe I should just be honest, people like honesty, Pyrrha seems the sort to admire it_. "I... normally eat alone, as it allows me to read... stories off of my scroll."

"What genre?" Pyrrha wondered.

_Shit._

"R-Romance..."

_Why did you tell her?!_

Pyrrha raised a brow in surprise, before her smile turned a tad more smug. "Your secret's safe with me Miss Schnee."

"I-I don't... _thank you_..." Winter managed, her blush growing slightly. _Stop blushing you fool! You have to remain cool and collected! You're her boss damnit!_

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "We all have our quirks. Personally I'm addicted to sudoku... which seems stereotypical I know, but... I never had much else to do aside from train."

"I wouldn't say sudoku is all _that_ stereotypical..." Winter began. "Although I don't really talk to that many people, so I suppose I can't exactly make that judgement..."

"Honestly in my experience people tend to be rather judgmental... I had uh... very prominent buck teeth as a child." Pyrrha admitted, her cheeks reddening.

Winter's eyes widened at the response. "_You_ had buck teeth?" She gawked, until realizing what she had just said, then averting her gaze. "I-I'm sorry, that was rude of me..."

"No it's okay!" Pyrrha quickly assured. "I know it's hard to tell now, after a few uh... _emotional_ months my parents had me fitted with braces. They were a nightmare but I'm thankful for the suffering."

"Well... you look great now..." Winter commented... unfortunately without thinking. _Be more professional! You're talking to your employee!_

Pyrrha offered a warm smile in return. "Thank you... and you do too! I really like your hair, white is such a rare color to see naturally."

The blush that tinted Winter's cheeks only grew at yet another compliment. _Inner onee-san, inner onee-san_. "Th-Thank you Pyrrha, you're too kind... It's a hereditary trait."

Pyrrha then let out a soft chuckle. "It must be a nightmare to keep it so pure."

"At times, but with the way I live, it's not exceptionally difficult." Winter explained.

"No secret mud wrestling I take it?" Pyrrha jokingly wondered with a slight grin.

"O-Of course not..." Winter assured, sadly with a stutter once again. "I can't recall the last time I got mud on anything past my shoes."

A smile soon appeared on Pyrrha's face. "In the rainy season mother would take me on a jungle trek, to build my stamina, by the end of the week my hair could prop up a tent."

"That sounds... hard to manage..." Winter noted. "I was never one to enjoy that sort of thing."

"Well, what do you enjoy?" Pyrrha wondered.

_Damnit_ "I like... um... reading... a-and romance movies... and a bit of writing... though I'm not very good..." Winter nervously explained. _That should be satisfactory... I hope._

"Are... you okay Miss Schnee?" Pyrrha inquired, her face showing a hint of worry. "Do you suffer from asthma?"

Winter blinked. "Oh, no, I just..." Then she sighed. _Might as well be honest with her_. "I've just never been very good at talking to other employees..."

"Is there any reason in particular or..." Pyrrha began, but trailed off.

"I... I suffer from anxiety..." Winter hesitantly admitted. _I can't believe you just told her that! What happened to using your inner onee-san?!_

"Ah, I understand..." Pyrrha acknowledged before pausing for a moment. "What if... you think of me not as an employee, but a friend? You don't have to act any particular way just... _be."_

"Think of you... as a friend?" Winter echoed, not believing what she had just heard.

"We'll be working together for the foreseeable future, and you're pleasant company." Pyrrha noted. "I would be honored to make my first Atlesian friend in you."

"You... really?" _She... wants to be my friend?_

"Of course." Pyrrha smiled. "To be honest I've never been the best at making friends, teammates yes, but... well, if it's okay with you."

After a moment of silence, Winter nodded. "I think I would like that..." _My first IRL friend..._

Pyrrha smiled brighter in response, all teeth and joy. "Wonderful. We should celebrate somehow, do you have dinner plans?"

Winter sadly shook her head. "It's been quite some time since I have." _And I can't believe I just admitted that._

"Are there any restaurants you would recommend?" Pyrrha asked.

_Shit_. "I'm... I'm not sure..." Winter muttered. "I haven't dined at any restaurants for a while..." _Aside from business dinners with Glynda and the team._

"Well, maybe we could just... drive around? Or maybe ask someone." Pyrrha suggested. "Miss Goodwitch might know one or two."

"I believe asking Miss Goodwitch would be a good idea." Winter agreed. _I really hope she volunteers for that._

"She does seem knowledgeable, if a tad intimidating." Pyrrha noted, a small smile creeping onto her face.

Winter actually managed a small chuckle. "I'm sure you'll be rethinking that second part if you ever see her angry."

Pyrrha let out a laugh. "I dread the day."

"I'm just thankful the anger I witnessed wasn't directed at me." Winter added. _Because if it had been, I very likely would've had a panic attack._

"Oh? Do tell!" Pyrrha happily requested.

Winter just smiled in response.

_I hope Glynda doesn't scare her after this._

* * *

As Winter entered her apartment after another long but luckily more pleasant day at work - thanks to Pyrrha - she pulled her scroll out to check the time.

**6:48 PM**

It appeared she still had some time before having to get ready for dinner. So with nothing else to really occupy it with, she decided to turn on her laptop and open up the group chat. Hopefully that would do something to help calm her down from the fear of going out for dinner with Pyrrha. At the very least they will be able to distract her for a little while.

_I'll set an alarm to remind me just in case._

**Boob Box**  
**#main-chat**

**Animelover123**  
Good afternoon everyone.

**MonkeyBoi**  
Hey heather!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Yo.

**RoseButt**  
Why _hello there_ pretty lady.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Theonesingleguy Stop watching hentai and come say hello young man.

**Theonesingleguy**  
I'M NOT WATCHING HENTAI

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Sure you aren't.

**Theonesingleguy**  
I'll have you know I prefer to read.  
hey Heather

**RoseButt**  
So what are you wearing?  
Somethin skimpy I hope ;) ;)

_Ah yes, the account borrower._

**Animelover123**  
Hello Neo.

**RoseButt**  
Aww, you're no fun D:

**Theonesingleguy**  
I can never tell who's who anymore  
How do I know Blake is really Blake?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
That's right. I could be _anyone._  
How do you know I'm not your sister Saffron using Blake's account while she's underneath my desk?

**Theonesingleguy**  
Okay it's Blake.  
And that was a disturbing image

**RoseButt**  
Speaking of underneath, Ruby says _mph!_

**Animelover123**  
So does that mean she's not "tied up like a burrito" as usual?

**RoseButt**  
She was earlier, but I decided to put that adorable tongue to use.

**Animelover123**  
You seem to say that a lot.  
Is every part of that girl adorable?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You're damn right it is.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Except when she's wearing that damn corset.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Then it's just sexy.

**RoseButt**  
You'll never guess what she's wearing right now Blakey  
Or I suppose _partially_ wearing.

**Kittysprinkles69**

You have no idea how much I want to come over right now, but sadly I need to be able to feel my legs to drive later.

**Animelover123**  
Have you done something to yourself?

**Theonesingleguy**  
Probably Velvet.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
A little while ago yes, but getting eaten out by her is _very_ different than getting eaten out by Neo.  
I can still walk after the former.

**RoseButt**  
;)

**Kittysprinkles69**  
First time I ever passed out from an orgasm was during the latter.

**RoseButt**  
;) ;) ;)

**Animelover123**  
That's... interesting?

**Theonesingleguy**  
Fascinating, tell us more.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You _would_ want to know more, virgin boy.

**RoseButt**  
I have been told I have a _tongue like a snake Faunus_ ;)

**Kittysprinkles69**  
I can vouch for that.

**Animelover123**  
I'm sure Ruby and Velvet can too.

**MonkeyBoi**  
What about a lizard Faunus? :P

**Kittysprinkles69**  
_Slow claps_

**Theonesingleguy**  
I am jealousy.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
We know Jaune. You'll get your own lady someday.

**RoseButt**  
In the late future.

**Animelover123**  
Ouch.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
He just needs some help baby.

**RoseButt**  
I'm not _that_ good of a matchmaker kitty cat.

**Animelover123**  
You seem to have done well enough for yourself.

**RoseButt**  
Yeah, but that's all thanks to the adorable bundle of cookie dough currently between my legs.

**Animelover123**  
Speaking of eating out...

**RoseButt**  
Oh? You finally get one of those _fine_ ladies you always talk about in bed?  
_Or did you manage to get both? ;P_

**Animelover123**  
Unfortunately no, I have however made a friend in Pyrrha. She asked me to dinner as celebration.

**RoseButt**  
Who's Pyrrha?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Her new _subordinate_.  
Our little weeb has a date!

**Theonesingleguy**  
Lucky.

**Animelover123**  
I don't feel lucky! I don't know how to go out for dinner!  
I've never had an IRL friend before!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
I'm sure you'll be fine Heather.  
And hey, if you play your cards right, you'll have a _bedroom friend_ too. :P

**Animelover123**  
Not helping!  
This is all happening so fast!  
I don't know if she's attracted to me or if she just wants to be friends!  
I don't know how to be a friend!  
What if she is attracted to me and I don't know how to react?  
I've never rejected someone before!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You would _reject_ a beautiful lady trying to get in your pants?

**RoseButt**  
Nailing a subordinate sounds hot as _fuck_.  
Remind me to buy Ruby a secretary's outfit sometime.

**Animelover123**  
That would be _grossly_ inappropriate!  
And I garner the impression she would be the one banging me in said case.

**RoseButt**  
Getting nailed by a subordinate, also hot.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
You've always come off as a hard sub Heather, so I'm sure it would be the latter.

**Animelover123**  
I feel as if Pyrrha lacks the mean spirit to do so...  
Oh... I just pictured rejecting her and my heart is breaking! She's so nice! Like a marshmallow, but with muscles!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Well, you don't know what she's like in private.  
She could be a sadistic dominatrix, you don't know.

**Animelover123**  
... Now that picture is in my head... thanks Blake.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Very welcome. :)

**Animelover123**  
Now I'm even more nervous!  
Is this just dinner? Is it a _date_? What should I dress like? Should I pay for the dinner? How do you all do this?

**Theonesingleguy**  
Go to dinner, get something you like, talk to each other, dress semi casual, split the bill.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Says the total expert at dating.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Just because I've never been on a date doesn't mean I'm not prepared. I have a lot of time to think about how things might go.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Prepared for something that may never come.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Hey! Rude.

**RoseButt**  
Here's what you do:  
Go to dinner, get something you like, seduce the _hell_ out of her, dress in something that shows off that sexy body of yours, pay for both of you, take her home, fuck her brains out.  
_Mission accomplished._

**Theonesingleguy**  
Neo is the devil on your shoulder in this context.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
And Jaune's the guy standing in for the angel.

**RoseButt**  
Velvs is the real angel.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Damn straight.

**Theonesingleguy**  
Wish she was here, sadly Blakes pussy devoured her.

**Animelover123**  
Uh, excuse me?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Actually I devoured _her_ pussy.  
Get your facts straight.

**Theonesingleguy**  
It's like a black hole, not even light can escape it.

**Animelover123**  
Why are you continuing?

**RoseButt**  
Hehe  
_Blake_ Hole.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Yang is that you?

**RoseButt**  
She's actually been online this whole time.

**YangBang**  
Ah you found me!

**RoseButt**  
Sup blondie

**YangBang**  
Hey cradle snatcher!

**RoseButt**  
_Excuse me_, I snatched her from cooking class.  
Emphasis on the snatch though. ;)

**Animelover123**  
Hello Yang.

**YangBang**  
Yo whaddap my nerds! Who's ready to get _Yang banged?_

**Theonesingleguy**  
Is that an offer?

**YangBang**  
lol, you're cute Jauney boy

**Theonesingleguy**  
That's the politest rejection I've ever seen.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
She had it down to an art form by grade 8.

**YangBang**  
B SWIZZLE! :D

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Pain in the ass!

**YangBang**  
_Hey!_  
I've never put anything up your butt! :P

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Yeah, that I can remember.

**Animelover123**  
I thought Ruby was the one that liked _rear-related activities._

**RoseButt**  
She's really sensitive back there. ;)

**YangBang**  
I hate you.

**RoseButt**  
Ruby says payback's a bitch.

**YangBang**  
Oh yeah? Well I've still got _tons_ of stories she hasn't heard yet, including a bunch involving her _good friend Weiss_ bending me over  
_if you know what I'm sayin ;)_

**RoseButt**  
Ruby says she'll be good.

**Animelover123**  
Wow. Has it always been that easy to get Ruby to behave?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Sometimes.  
While we use the _art of spoiling_, Yang... goes in a different direction. As you can see.

**YangBang**  
I mean all I have to do is threaten her with one of my sex stories, which I have plenty of :P

**Animelover123**  
So all I have to do is spoil or threaten her? How am I supposed to do that?

**RoseButt**  
Ruby says she'll take nudes as payment.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Down girl.

**Animelover123**  
Absolutely not young lady.

**RoseButt**  
Now she's offering to trade nudes.

**Animelover123**  
Refer to my previous answer.

**RoseButt**  
Does that refusal extend to me?

**Animelover123**  
What do you think?

**RoseButt**  
What if I say pretty please?

**Animelover123**  
No.

**RoseButt**  
You're no fun :P

**YangBang**  
Another swing and a miss.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
As usual.

**Animelover123**  
Why don't you go ask someone who actually _wants_ to send you photos of that nature? Or perhaps just take some more of each other. I'm sure at least one of your scrolls is nearby.

**RoseButt**  
But we already have plenty of those! We're interested in the _exceptionally rare_ today. ;)

**Animelover123**  
Except in this case you're looking for the exceptionally _non-existent._

**RoseButt**  
Party pooper -3-

Winter just rolled her eyes at the computer screen, wondering if those girls will ever give up on trying to _get with her_ as they described. After all, they were all part of a four-way relationship, so each one of them already had three other girls to gush over. _What do they even see in me anyway_? She wondered just before a sudden rattling noise turned her attention to the buzzing scroll that sat next to her laptop. It was the alarm she set before signing onto _Harmony_, which meant only one thing.

_Looks like it's time to get prepared for this dinner... date... thing._

...

_Gods I am not ready for this._

* * *

Just like she planned, Winter was at the restaurant a fair amount earlier than the agreed-upon time. Well, at least she _arrived_ as such. After parking, she proceeded to sit in her car, blasting the anime OSTs from her music library, and silently panicking about what exactly she was going to do.

_I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this, I can't do this! Gods damnit I'm such an idiot! Why did I have to say yes?! Not only am I now going to make a fool out of myself in front of my employee, but my new friend_! Then Winter made the mistake of looking down at herself. While getting ready, she had had a _bit_ of trouble finding an outfit - especially considering she did not own much in terms of _social wear_ \- so she just ended up choosing another set of work clothes, consisting of a pale-blue long-sleeve blouse and a pair of white dress pants. Along with her navy blue coat of course. Atlas did not exactly have the hottest summers. _And I'm practically wearing the same thing I wore to work! Now Pyrrha's going to think that's all I have! Even if it's kind of true... Gods, this dinner hasn't even started and it's already going horribly wrong!_

Sadly it was a little too late to back out. If only Winter could call her group chat friends for support...

_Wait a minute, I can!_

Pulling her scroll free from her purse, Winter hastily unlocked it and navigated to the _Harmony_ app.

**Boob Box**  
**#main-chat**

**Animelover123**  
Whoever's still around, I could use some help.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Nervous?

**Animelover123**  
You have no idea. I'm currently sitting in my car, in the parking lot of the restaurant, attempting to use my anime OSTs to calm myself down.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Is it working?

**Animelover123**  
I wish. It's barely distracting me.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Think of the food.

**YangBang**  
Or the desert!

**Animelover123**  
Sadly that has never worked for me, only ever resulting in increased hunger.

**YangBang**  
Hunger is good, reminds you to go to dinner, and probably buy food before you starve

**Animelover123**  
The dinner is what I'm afraid of Yang!  
What if I say something stupid? Or worse, _do_ something stupid?  
I don't want to embarrass myself in front of my new friend!

**MonkeyBoi**  
You could think about something random?  
like boobs

**Animelover123**  
That is a horrible idea.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Heather doesn't want to be horny on her date Sun.

**MonkeyBoi**  
oh right, good point.

**Animelover123**  
Don't remind me it's a date Blake!

**YangBang**  
What if you pretend it's your boss instead?

**Animelover123**  
That would make it even worse!

**YangBang**  
Oh yeah  
my bad

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Dominatrix vibes and everything.

**MonkeyBoi**  
Kinky.

**Animelover123**  
This isn't the time Sun!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
How about thinking of her like she's one of us?

**Animelover123**  
What do you mean?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
When you actually go inside and meet up with Pyrrha, don't think of her as your subordinate or employee, pretend she's just like you.

**Animelover123**  
You want me to pretend Pyrrha's a weeb?

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Precisely.  
Or better yet, just pretend you're having dinner with one of us.

_That... could actually work. Son of a bitch why didn't I think of that?_

**Animelover123**  
An interesting idea to say the least.  
I suppose you could work, seeing as you're likely the most mature one of this group.

**YangBang**  
Hey! I resent that.

**Kittysprinkles69**  
But you can't deny it.  
And yes, I would _love_ go to out on a date with you Heather. You can pick me up at 9.  
I'll make sure to wear that lacy black thong you love so much. ;)

**Animelover123**  
You'd be lucky to even get a real date with me young lady.  
But in all seriousness, thank you all for the help.  
Even if some of it wasn't exactly _helpful_.

**YangBang**  
No problemo!

**MonkeyBoi**  
I didn't really do anything but you're welcome!

**Kittysprinkles69**  
Glad to help. Now run along Heather, you have a date with me to attend. :P

For the second time in the same day, Winter found herself rolling her eyes at the contents of the group chat. They were quite the strange bunch, but she was happy to call them her friends - Even if a _certain trio_ constantly made it their mission to hit on her. Winter actually could not help but smile at the thought. _Perhaps if the circumstances were different_. Of course she would never admit that to any of them - Because if she _did_, then they would very likely do everything in their power to change said circumstances to suit their collective desire to have her... _join them_.

Turning off the music, Winter dropped her scroll back into her purse. With no small amount of hesitation she pulled the door handle, stepping out of her car and flinching as it slammed shut harder than she intended. Taking a deep, unsteady breath, she looked up at the glaring neon sign above the restaurant.

**VIRIDIA**

The red glow it casted did little to help Winter's nerves, as she finally took her first steps forward. _You can do this! It's just dinner with a friend. All you have to do is pretend it's Blake and everything will be fine_! Winter told herself as she reached the front door, taking another deep breath before entering the building. Unfortunately once inside, it only got worse. If the idea of a _date restaurant_ had ever existed, this place would _certainly_ fit the bill. It was upscale Mistrali, which always meant things: dimmer lighting, lit candles at every table, deep shades of red and brown making up the colour scheme, and of course, quiet - and fairly romantic-sounding - music playing throughout the restaurant. Overall a very pleasant establishment. But it also caused Winter to realize something.

_Oh gods this is a date! I'm about to be on a date with my employee! On the evening of her second day! Why did I agree to this?_

Suddenly Winter felt a tap on her shoulder, and she had to seriously resist the urge to jump back and scream _kya_! Which was a bit sad now that she thought about it. Thankfully she was able to keep herself calm... at least externally. On the inside, her heart rate proceeded to shoot through the roof. Honestly she had no idea how she did not physically react aside from stiffening like a board. After a moment of internally composing herself, Winter hesitantly turned around, finding Pyrrha standing next to her, looking... quite beautiful if she was being honest. Well, _more_ beautiful than normal. Clad in a crimson cardigan over-top of a floral halter top, combined with a black skirt and leggings... _Pyrrha sure has nice legs... Stop staring at them you moron! It's rude and inappropriate!_

_Just pretend she's Blake. Just pretend she's Blake. Just pretend she's Blake. You can do this._

"Good evening Miss Schnee." Pyrrha greeted with a smile.

"Good evening to you too Blake-"

...

_Fuck me._

Pyrrha immediately furrowed her brow in response. "Who's Blake?"

Shit, shit, shit, shit, _shit!_

"Sh-She's... um... a friend o-of mine..." Winter nervously informed after a moment of silence. _How could you let that slip?! You were only supposed to pretend she was Blake! Not actually call her that_! "I-I was... just talking to her before I arrived..." She then lowered her head in shame. "I s-sincerely apologize for the Freudian slip."

Seemingly sensing her boss' embarrassment, Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "It's quite alright Miss Schnee, we all have our moments." She assured. "I once vomited on stage during the opening night of a school play I was in." Then she laughed at Winter's wide-eyed expression. "Oh and it gets worse. Not only did that happen in front of _hundreds_ of students and parents alike, but I essentially threw up all over this boy I had a crush on at the time. I ended up not attending school for several days from the sheer humiliation of ruining that night's show."

"That's... _shocking_ to say the least." Winter managed.

Pyrrha just offered a warm smile. "Nerves do things to us all."

"That they do..." Winter mumbled. A brief silence followed as the pair stood in the restaurant's entrance in somewhat awkward silence. At least it was for Winter. Every second that passed by she hoped the other woman would speak up first.

"So... shall we go acquire a table?" Pyrrha wondered.

_Oh thank gods_. "I think that's a good idea. We did come here to eat, did we not?"

Winter then proceeded to give herself a mental high-five for that last part.

Pyrrha let out a chuckle. "That's very true." She acknowledged before turning to face the maître d', who up until that point had been silently waiting for them to finish talking. "Good evening sir, table for two please."

Looking down at the computer in front of him, the maître d' typed a few things on the keyboard before reaching below the counter and pulling out a couple of menus. His gaze then shifted back up to the two woman as he smiled. "Right this way." He requested, walking out from behind the desk and leading Winter and Pyrrha into the main area of the restaurant. It was not terribly busy on this particular night - as it was a weekday - so there were still number of empty tables throughout the room. Not quite _quiet_, but also not crowded.

_I think I can deal with that_.

Once the pair had taken their seats at a vacant booth, the maître d' handed them their menus and a drink list - which Winter was _very_ sure she will not even _think_ about touching. There was no way in _hell_ she was going to drink in front of her employee, lest there being any chance of her becoming at _all_ intoxicated - As she was not exactly the _best_ at handling her liquor.

"A waiter will be with you shortly." The maître d' informed, offering a smile before heading back to the front of the restaurant, leaving the pair alone. After he was gone, Winter proceed to watch as Pyrrha gazed around the restaurant, a look of awe on her face.

"This place appears to be very genuine for being located in Atlas..." The redhead marveled, continuing to survey their surroundings. "It even _smells_ like an authentic Mistrali restaurant..."

Winter had not noticed it before, but there was indeed a rather... _odd_ scent that filled the room - at least to her nose from the way Pyrrha was talking. It reminded her of incense, which in her opinion was certainly a strange thing to smell in a restaurant. Once the younger woman was finished with her looking around, she turned back to Winter, and a brief silence followed.

_Come on, say something. Start a conversation. Be confident for once! You don't want to give her the wrong impression!_

"So... I've never had the pleasure of visiting Mistral." Winter hesitantly began as she opened her menu. "I've always been curious what the cuisine is truly like."

"Well it's certainly quite different from what I've experienced in Atlas so far." Pyrrha informed, opening her own.

Winter furrowed her brow in response. "How so?"

"There's so much more reliance on meat here." Pyrrha observed. "In Mistral it normally takes a back seat to vegetables, breads and cheeses."

_Fascinating_. "Are there a lot of vegetarians in Mistral?" Winter inquired.

"Many." Pyrrha answered. "In fact followers of Summer often practice it as a dedication to her bounty."

_Oh yes, Mistral is quite the religious country_. "I must admit I'm not sure if I'd be able to go without meat."

Pyrrha let out a small chuckle. "Me neither if I'm honest, much to my mothers displeasure."

"Your mother was... disappointed in your diet choice?" Winter wondered.

Pyrrha nodded. "The majority of my family members are fairly strict vegetarians, so when my mother discovered my relatively strong fondness for meat, it's safe to say she was not exactly _pleased_."

"That's... unfortunate." Winter acknowledged. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Pyrrha quickly shook her head. "Please Miss Schnee, don't be. I will admit it was rather... _difficult_ to have my mother constantly trying to convert me to vegetarianism, but she never forced anything upon me." She continued before another brief silence followed, during which a waiter came to take their drink orders. Pyrrha ordered an iced tea, while Winter decided to just stick with water. "Do you mind if we talk about something else?"

"Oh, o-of course." Winter agreed. _Anything would be better than disapproving parents, and control your stuttering!_

"Thank you." Pyrrha smiled. "Would you mind if I asked you something?" She asked, to which her boss nodded. "Well, as you know I'm still rather new to Atlas, and I don't really know where anything else is aside from the SDC, so I was wondering if you had any recommendations for places to shop and such." Then she chuckled. "As I imagine I can only survive for so long on takeout."

_Well shit. How am I supposed to answer that? I hardly ever go out!_

"Well... um..." Winter nervously began, having no idea how she was going to answer her employee's question. It had been quite some time since she had actually _gone out_ to do her shopping, as she _much_ preferred to just order things online. She did not have to interact with anyone else that way. Before Winter was able to continue, a waiter approached with their drinks, essentially saving her from having to answer, at least for the time being. They each gave their thanks as he handed them their respective beverages before being left in silence once again.

"To be entirely honest I have been frequenting the same mall since I moved into my apartment..." Winter admitted. "Shopping is... _uncomfortable_."

"That's understandable." Pyrrha acknowledged. "There are quite a few things I still feel self-conscious when buying."

"I-It's not just that... but yes, yes I feel eyes on me in... _that_ aisle." Winter mumbled.

Pyrrha let out a chuckle. "If only those sorts of items were not so embarrassing to purchase."

"If only..." Winter echoed.

"Do you order online then?" Pyrrha inquired.

_Damnit_ "I t-tend to, yes."

"Is it expensive in comparison?" Pyrrha asked.

Winter shook her head. "The only extra expense is the delivery fee, which isn't very much all things considered."

"Have you ever had any issues with it?"

Winter nodded. "A few... Mostly either not receiving an item or being sent the wrong brand for something."

Pyrrha then brought a hand up to her chin, seemingly in thought. "Hm... I think I'll stick with in-person shopping. What was the name of the mall you mentioned?"

_Because not everyone is as anxiety-filled as you_. "It's called Aurora Square mall, named after the park it's located at." Winter informed.

"The Aurora Square mall..." Pyrrha echoed. "I believe I've heard of that. Thank you for the recommendation Miss Schnee."

Winter offered a slightly awkward smile. "Of course. I'm glad I could help." Thankfully she was able to avoid stuttering this time.

Before the pair was able to continue their conversation - or more accurately, before Pyrrha spoke up again - the waiter approached their table once again. "Are we ready to order? Or are a few more minutes needed?" He wondered. Both women then proceeded to look down at their still-open menus, realizing neither of them had even thought about what they wanted.

Pyrrha chuckled in response. "I think we're going to need a few more minutes."

"Not a problem. Take your time." The waiter assured, nodding before walking away.

Once the two women were alone again, Pyrrha looked to her boss with a slight grin. "I suppose we should actually decide what we want to eat."

Winter managed a small chuckle. "That's probably a good idea." She agreed as the two picked up their menus and began surveying the options. _There are a lot of interesting things here... How am I possibly going to decide..._ Then she peaked above her menu to hopefully-discreetly look at her employee. _Perhaps I should ask Pyrrha about what's good..._ After a couple seconds of staring, Winter decided against it, not wanting to seem more clueless than she already did. So she turned to look around the restaurant, hoping to catch a glimpse of a dish that looked good. Sadly that did not do much to help, as everything she saw - both on her menu and on other tables - looked like it tasted incredible. _Damnit this isn't working! Nothing stands out!_

_So ask Pyrrha._

_But it would be embarrassing!_

_Embarrassed is better than taking up her time trying to decide on a meal._

_Very well._

As Winter began turning back to her employee, she caught a glimpse of something she _sincerely_ wished she had not, and her whole world froze. There were two women occupying the booth. One with wild black hair... deep red eyes, relatively strong figure... and sitting next to her was the other... Pale blonde hair, bright green eyes... Winter's eyes quickly widened out of shock.

_Oh my gods..._

_Raven... and Glynda...? What are they doing here together?_

_No no, it's none of my business. It's obvious they're just friends having dinner together... like Pyrrha and I! Yes, yes that's it. That has to be it. They're just two friends having dinner. Why else would they be here together? I have nothing to worry about. I should just mind my own business._

So that was what Winter did. Shifting her gaze back to her menu, she resumed her search for an entree... until curiosity began to get the better of her. _Well, they haven't seen me yet... So perhaps I could... glance over there every now and again... After all, it's not every day I get to see both of them in the same place, unaware of my presence. It's like a free show! Okay, that sounded creepy even in my own head._

Peering up from her menu, Winter's gaze slowly made its way over to the other pair of women sitting in the nearby booth. Unfortunately this time there was an added... _surprise_ waiting for her when she did. When her eyes landed upon the two woman, she found a certain pair of red eyes staring back at her. It seemed she had been noticed... _Fuck_. The next few seconds almost passed by in slow motion, as she stared wide-eyed at the grinning face of Raven, at least until the older woman winked, which was when Winter proceeded to practically hide behind her menu.

_Don't panic, don't panic! You know how Raven likes to mess with you!_

"Miss Schnee? Are you alright?"

_Shit._

Hesitantly looking up from her menu, Winter found Pyrrha staring at her, a hint of concern on her face. She then just simply nodded, shifting her gaze back down.

"Did you see something strange?" Pyrrha inquired. "I noticed you were looking around the restaurant a minute ago."

_So much for being discrete. Baka._

Winter nearly opened her mouth to begin, but had no idea what to say. _What am I supposed to tell her? I don't want to lie, but I also don't want to say I was staring at my boss and one of the SDC's security guards_! But it seemed luck was not at all on her side on this particular night, as instead of waiting for an answer, Pyrrha - unbeknownst to Winter - decided to instead look around to see what exactly her boss had witnessed. After a few seconds of trying to occupy herself with looking at food, Winter heard something that she was not at all expecting, and she would soon find she would regret looking into.

"Oh my."

_Oh my? Oh my? What's that supposed to mean? What did she just see?_

Peeking over her menu, Winter looked to her employee, wondering what she was looking at. Unfortunately, judging from the direction her head was facing, she knew exactly what had caught her attention. But... seeing Glynda and Raven could not have been _that_ surprising... right? What exactly was happening over there that elicited the _oh my_ from Pyrrha?

_Damnit._

Once again, curiosity got the better of Winter, as her gaze slowly shifted from her menu to the booth that seated her boss and the security guard, and... she _immediately_ regretted it. In fact she could not have regretted it more than she did at that moment. Glynda and Raven were no longer just sitting next to each other as they had been before, no. They were now... making out. Glynda and Raven were making out. Winter's boss was currently lip-locked with another woman! Not only that, but she was lip-locked with one of the SDC's security guards! _What is going on?!_

Sadly that initial surprise did not last forever, as once it wore off, Winter was left with a mixture of feelings running through her mind, jumbling and fighting for dominance. Before long, it was dejection that reigned supreme. Not only did Winter now know that Glynda was unavailable - something she had never _once_ seen evidence of - but she was together with Raven of all people! _Well, at least I know she's into women... So that's at least something_... But that still meant... everything she had dreamt about for the past year... had just been destroyed in a single moment.

As hard as Winter tried - and she _really_ did, considering she was still in public - she could not fight back the tears that came from this revelation. But it did not matter... nothing did... The two loves of her life were... were... _pashing_ right in front of her... without a care in the world...

Until the moment, Winter had been having a relatively pleasant time - Pyrrha was a nice girl after all - but now all she wanted to do now was go home and lose herself in an indulgent binge until becoming too tired to break down any further. Unfortunately she was still in the middle of this dinner... date... thing. She could not just leave! Though at the same time she highly doubted she would be able to even make it through the entire night after what she just witnessed.

"Oh my gods, Miss Schnee are you okay?" Pyrrha quickly asked upon seeing Winter in her current state, tears beginning to stream down her face.

Winter had been at a loss for words before, but this time was different. She had just seen her two crushes... _together_, _while_ out with her employee! How the hell was she supposed to explain what she was feeling?! "I... I-I have to go. I apologize." Winter managed after a few moments of silence, letting the menu fall onto the table before grabbing her coat off the back of her chair and standing up. Alas, she only made it a few steps before the younger woman caught up.

"Miss Schnee!" Pyrrha called, actually reaching out to lightly grab her boss' sleeve. "I didn't realize seeing... such a display would affect you so much, or else I wouldn't have called attention to it. We could always move to another table, you don't need to leave..."

As much as Winter wanted to stay, she had already completely broken character while in public. She knew that there was no chance that she would be able to compose herself now. She needed to get out of there before it got any worse. "I-I'm sorry..." Winter mumbled before she continued walking out of the restaurant.

All she could hope for now was that Pyrrha would forgive her.

* * *

By the time Winter walked through the front door of her apartment, she was ready to collapse. Though it did make sense. Having spent an entire car ride attempting to hold back tears - and utterly failing - will do that to a person. But that did not matter. She had already broken down in the middle of a restaurant, so doing it in her car made no difference. All she wanted to do now was go to bed, and likely cry herself to sleep.

Lumbering through the main area of the apartment, Winter kicked her shoes off and tossed her purse aside - not even caring where they land. As she did the latter, she caught a glimpse of her closed laptop on the living area's coffee table. It actually gave her an idea. There was nothing in the entire apartment that could make her feel even remotely better - aside from maybe alcohol and chocolate - but perhaps her group chat friends could at least distract her from this horrible nightmare of an evening.

It was at least worth a shot. If not... well they at least always make good company.

**Boob Box**  
**#main-chat**

**Animelover123**  
Hello everyone.  
I've had a bit of an evening to put it lightly, and I could really benefit from your cheerful attitudes.

**RoseButt**  
O hey Heather! Sry we at a movie and its about to start!  
be back in a few hours!"

_RoseButt is now offline._

_Kittysprinkles69 is now offline._

_Theonesingleguy is now offline._

_MonkeyBoi is now offline._

_Oh... okay..._

Gently closing her laptop, Winter pushed it off of her lap, not even bothering with putting it back onto the coffee table.

_Well, there goes my one chance at distracting myself. I suppose alcohol and chocolate will have to do. I'm not above wallowing in self pity._

Winter let out a tired sigh, slumping even further in her position on the couch.

_What an awful night._

* * *

**Author's Note**: Hope you enjoyed!

And as always, your feedback fuels me!

_P.S._

For those who don't know, pashing is Australian slang for french kissing.


	3. Trying

If there was one thing that Weiss Schnee hated more than being alone, it was cooking... Or in her case, _attempting_ to cook. If only there was some way to improve without having to attend a cooking class... or begging her near-chef of a girlfriend to help her. Though it was a bit late for either of those now. On this particular day, Weiss had set out to prepare a nice breakfast for said girlfriend, but unfortunately it was not exactly going as well as she would have preferred... much like every other time she had tried.

_Why must this be so complicated? It's just eggs and pancakes! It shouldn't be this hard! I don't understand it. How can I be so bad at something that so many people are so good at?!_

_Well, my mother can't cook... I think, and neither can my sister, so perhaps it's some sort of Schnee family curse. That would explain our collective and complete lack of skills in the kitchen._

Weiss let out a sigh. _What a pain in the ass. Maybe I should just swallow my pride and take a cooking class-_ Unfortunately, her thought was cut off by her wrist impacting something, followed by the thud of plastic, and splashing of liquid. "_Shit_!" She quietly hissed, - lest she risk waking up her girlfriend - scrambling to pick up the unsecured milk jug as it voided its contents across the counter. _First I add too much milk to the eggs, then I either burn or undercook the majority of the pancakes, now I spill the stupid milk! Just wonderful. Today has barely even begun and it's already a disaster!_

After an aggravating few minutes spent cleaning up milk off the counter, Weiss let out a heavier sigh. There had been several times throughout the morning where giving up seemed rather appealing, but such a decision was impossible, as she was not preparing this breakfast for herself. On the contrary, she was making it for a much more special person. Her girlfriend, partner, lover, and her sunshine incarnate: Yang Xiao Long - who was currently snoring up a storm in their comfy king sized bed.

All Weiss wanted was do something nice for Yang, because she had done so much for her - and not just during their time as a couple. At every point that she could remember, the blonde had always put Weiss' needs before her own, even when it came at a personal cost. Staying up extra late to help her study, keeping her schedule, taking more shifts at work to allow her to quit her own job for a while, even failing entire _courses_ in order to ensure that she passed hers... essentially keeping Weiss afloat as she pushed herself to the limit to handle the workload. Yang had time and again put her life and education on hold to ensure her girlfriend's would continue without a hitch, which was incredible, but it always left Weiss with the feeling that she never repaid her enough - even though she constantly told her that repayment was not needed.

_It's not about repaying me_. Yang would say whenever Weiss would express those feelings. _I do everything I can because I love you, and that's more than enough for me_. Hearing those words echo through her mind caused a smile to spread across Weiss' face. _What would I do without that big blonde oaf?_

The next few minutes passed in silence as Weiss continued to cook - or more accurately, _attempt_ to cook - breakfast, at least until she felt a plush surface brush against her face, causing her to grin - as she knew exactly what it was.

"Well well, _water_ you makin' Weissy?" Came a high-pitch voice, complete with an awful Vacuoan accent. "'Cause some-_fin_ sure smells good!"

Weiss could not resist a snicker. _Oh gods the shark puns again_. Setting aside the spatula and turning down the heat on the stove - lest anything _else_ burn - she turned around to find a slightly tired yet still grinning Yang, who was currently holding up a familiar stuffed shark like a puppet. More specifically one that she bought Weiss for her last birthday - appropriately named _Sharky_ \- which was honestly rather surprising at the time, since that was the very first time anyone had given her a gift like that. It almost made her feel... well, like a kid again... or rather what she thought a kid _should_ have felt, her own experience being quite lacking in comparison. At least until she was informed of the reason why she received it. _It's 'cause of those perfect white teeth that you always use to bite people's heads off_. Yang told her, to which she then laughed her head off. What an interesting birthday that was.

Weiss just smiled at her pajama-clad girlfriend. "Good morning Yang. What has you up so early?"

"I mean I was still in bed up until a few minutes ago, but then I smelled somethin' _jaws_-some, so I got curious!" Yang answered in the same high-pitched, badly-accented voice, moving the toy shark as if it were the one talking.

"I wasn't aware it was shark week so soon." Weiss observed.

"Every week is shark week for me!" 'The shark' burst.

Weiss rolled her eyes. "This is the fourth time you've done this horrid line of humour."

"You started it this time snowflake." Yang noted, thankfully back in her normal voice as she lowered the stuffed shark.

Weiss opened her mouth to respond, but soon realized the blonde was correct. "I suppose you're right." Yang just grinned in response. "No need to get a big head about it. Now go sit down and let me finish preparing breakfast."

Leaning over a bit to look past her girlfriend to the near-disaster behind her, Yang cautiously raised a brow. "You... need any help with that?"

Weiss crossed her arms. "_Excuse me_, I'm perfectly capable of handling a simple meal for my girlfriend. Now _sit_. It'll be ready soon."

A sly grin found it's way onto Yang's face as she brought a hand up to her forehead for a mock salute. "_Yes ma'am_." She agreed before making her way over to their kitchen table and plopping down in one of the chairs to wait patiently.

Weiss leveled a grin at the blonde. "Good girl."

After another few minutes of nervously cooking - mostly due to the two lilac eyes now watching her - Weiss had successfully... well, semi-successfully... Okay not very successfully, prepared an... _edible_ breakfast. _At least it's not all done wrong in some way_. She told herself as she loaded up a couple plates with pancakes and scrambled eggs - ensuring that Yang's plate had more of the good food - and brought them over to the table. After that, she retrieved a jug of orange juice - Yang's favourite - and two glasses before placing them onto the table as well, her girlfriend smiling at her as she sat down.

"This all looks great babe." Yang complimented.

Weiss smiled. "You don't have to lie to me Yang, I realize I'm still not a very good cook."

"But you're improving!" Yang insisted, gesturing to the plates in front of them. "See? There aren't as many burnt ones this time!"

Weiss let out a chuckle. "Thanks Yang." Then her gaze fell slightly. "But I'm sorry I still couldn't get them right... This is actually my third time attempting to prepare all this today."

Looking down at the two plates of pancakes and scrambled eggs in front of them - in varying states of appearance - Yang proceeded to do something her girlfriend was not at all expecting. Taking one of the fairly burnt pancakes from Weiss' plate and switching it with a well-cooked one from her own, she rolled the former up like a burrito and shoved the entire thing into her mouth, starting the other girl straight in the eyes as she did so.

Weiss could not help but smile. "That's disgusting Yang." Weiss cringed, unable to stop the smile from infecting her voice.

Even with a mouth full of gross, burnt pancake, Yang was still able to grin. "Iv hud wsh."

Weiss rolled her eyes in response before the pair began to eat their respective meals. They ended up mostly eating in silence, as the two tried their best to enjoy what she had prepared. Although, if Weiss was being honest, the stuff she screwed up was not that bad... at least as far as burnt or undercooked food went. Hopefully Yang thought the same thing. This breakfast was for her after all.

Once they were finished their respective meals, Yang leaned back in her chair, letting out a satisfied breath as she patted her stomach. "That was delicious snowflake! You know you're starting to get on your way to becoming a great chef!"

"Yeah, a _great chef_ that burns or undercooks half of the stuff she attempts to prepare." Weiss scoffed, her gaze stuck to the empty plates as the pair began to clean up.

Yang offered a smile. "Don't worry about that Weiss, it's just a part of learning how to cook. I mean I can't tell you how many times I've fucked up making a meal before. It took me a _long_ time to actually stop burning all the shit I put on the stove... I didn't take to it like Ruby did, kept getting impatient or spacing out. No one starts off perfect babe, but I know you, give it time and you'll be better than I am."

Weiss looked back up at her girlfriend. "You really believe so?"

"Course I do." Yang assured with a smile as the two placed their respective dishes into the dishwasher. "I reached my peak years ago. You're just gettin' started."

"I suppose that's true..." Weiss mumbled, shifting her gaze from the dirty cookware to her lover and managing a smile. "Thanks Yang."

The blonde in question grinned in response. "It's what I'm here for babe."

"I thought you were here to look pretty." Weiss commented, a slight smirk on her face.

Yang let out a chuckle. "Nah, that's your job snowflake."

Weiss rolled her eyes, her smirk growing. "As if I don't have enough jobs around here."

"Just the most important ones, you got the smarts in the family." Yang noted.

As much as Weiss enjoyed the compliments, she hated when it came at her girlfriend's expense. "Don't sell yourself short."

"Now that I can't do." Yang giggled. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Oh... okay." Weiss accepted after a moment. _That was... sudden_. As Yang made her way out of the kitchen, Weiss slowly turned back to the counter to begin cleaning the remaining cookware - at least until she heard footsteps behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed it was Yang again. "Did you forget someth-_ing_!" Weiss attempted to ask before she was practically scooped up by the strong blonde.

"And you're gonna join me." Yang added as she carried her girlfriend out of the kitchen and toward the apartment's bathroom - which of course caused the shorter woman's face to heat up, even though she tried to fight it. Yang was just too good at flustering her.

After the initial surprise of being suddenly picked up and taken to the shower, a smirk made its way onto Weiss' face. _I guess cleaning up will have to wait_.

"Well, if you insist."

* * *

"So, what would you like to do today?"

Switching off the hair dryer and letting her still relatively damp, blonde locks settle on her bare shoulders and back, Yang looked over at her equally naked girlfriend, who was currently working on drying her own body after their... _exciting_ shower.

"What was that babe?"

Weiss let out a small chuckle. "I _said_, what would you like to do today?" She inquired.

Yang furrowed her brow slightly. "I thought you had work today."

"I do, but not until five." Weiss clarified as she wrapped the towel around herself. "So in the meantime, I'm all yours." She grinned at Yang through the mirror.

The blonde proceeded to match Weiss' grin with one of her own. "Well then, lucky me."

"Correct answer." Weiss commented with a giggle as the pair went back to drying themselves off. Since she had already blow dried her hair before, once she ensured her legs were dry, she made her way out of the bathroom, leaving Yang alone with her thoughts.

After her girlfriend was fully gone, Yang's grin faded to a small smile, fond and content as she turned the dryer back on. While they had talked a bit about the breakfast the prior evening, she was not at all expecting to get the chance to spend that much time with Weiss afterwards due to her having work... Though that was no different from almost every other day. Even without classes for the summer, she was always so busy with her job part-time managing the restaurant that she hardly ever had time to spend with Yang... Well, at least outside of the _mandatory intimacy times_ they set up, which Weiss defined as _time that is permanently set aside for you and nothing else_. Although there were times where it was not as long as Yang would have liked - especially during the school year - it was still enough... Even if Weiss did not agree, always hating herself for not making enough time for her. but honestly, it did not matter how bad her girlfriend thought she was. Yang had been in toxic relationships before, so the fact that Weiss made the effort meant everything to her.

As she finished up with drying her hair, Yang switched off the dryer and ran a hand through her blonde locks, making sure there were no spots that were still wet. After thankfully not finding any, she unplugged and placed the machine onto the granite counter top before exiting the bathroom - while still nude of course. She was heading to their bedroom to get dressed anyway, so there would be no point in putting her pyjamas back on, since she would be just taking them off again. Plus, Weiss loved seeing her naked.

"So? Any ideas yet?" Weiss inquired as Yang entered their walk-in closet, surprisingly not paying attention to the fact that she was still nude. Instead she mostly focused on continuing to look through her side for a good outfit for the day.

Yang brought a hand up to her chin. "Hmm, well eloping is always on the table, but I think we agreed that's the nuclear option."

"Total annihilation." Weiss commented.

"So we've gotta think small." Yang added, opening one of the drawers on her side to fish out a set of underwear. Since their day together will sadly not be lasting into the evening, she decided to grab something random, which ended up being a pair of regular old black panties and a leopard-print bra. It was nothing fancy, but that did not matter. Today was _clothes on_ kind of day.

"Do try not to strain yourself." Weiss faux cautioned, turning her head to flash a slight smirk at her naked girlfriend.

Turning to face Weiss, Yang offered a warm smile. "Baby, you're worth it."

Weiss' grin quickly shifted to a smile, a slight blush tinting her cheeks - which was adorable. "And you're too sweet."

Once Yang had put on her underwear, an idea popped into her head. "How about a movie?" She suggested. "We can cuddle up in the back of the theatre where no one can see us, maybe make out a little if there's not a lot of people."

"That would be an acceptable idea, if there was anything worth seeing out right now." Weiss replied as she slipped on a set of her own white underwear.

"Ugh, I hate this part of the movie season." Yang complained.

Unseen to her girlfriend, Weiss rolled her eyes. "Romcoms and cheap horror is all the rage these days."

Yang sighed. _Stupid public theatres, only playing current movies... Wait a minute_. "Why don't we make our own movie theatre?"

Weiss turned to face Yang again, this time having two different tops on hangers in her hands and a confused look on her face. "Because we would have nowhere to put it?"

Yang let out a chuckle. "No I mean like, we have a nice living room and not much going on in it, we should like, put up some foam padding and stuff and get surround sound."

Weiss blinked. "Oh so you mean just turn the living room into a home theatre."

"Exactly!" Yang grinned.

"So... home improvement day?" Weiss wondered as she hung up one of the tops, putting the other one - a white T-shirt with a design of purple flowers - aside. Casual, which made sense, but still cute as a button.

"You'd get to be the foreman." Yang mentioned, increasingly liking the idea of having a home theatre.

"I do like being in a position of power..." Weiss mumbled as she seemingly considered the proposal.

"And you can push the cart." Yang added.

Weiss then quirked a brow. "I thought that was your job? Being the _big, strong_ woman you are."

"I can't do all the heavy lifting snowflake, we gotta keep your endurance up!" Yang beamed.

"I thought we already have that covered _just fine_ in the bedroom?" Weiss near-purred, a smirk quickly spreading across her face.

Yang giggled in response. "Oh baby, _behave."_

"Says the one who spent the entire shower with her fingers inside of me." Weiss shot.

"They wanted to be warm, I was pressed for options." Yang defended before her mouth curled into a grin. "Besides, didn't hear you complainin'. In fact I heard _quite_ the opposite."

"Oh yes they _wanted to be warm_." Weiss mocked. "We were in a hot shower Yang."

Yang just continued to grin. _"Still didn't hear you complaining~."_

Weiss rolled her eyes. "You're insufferable."

"You suffer me all the time." Yang noted, her grin still present.

"Must be because of that body of yours." Weiss commented.

"It is my greatest virtue." Yang declared. _Hey this looks nice_. She thought, pulling a navy blue band T-shirt from off of its hook. _Now to find some shorts that match it..._

Weiss raised a brow. "Oh? I was under the impression that it was your _million-lien smile."_

"Eh, _opinions shminions_, you're probably looking at my body right now baby." Yang guessed as she looked through her shorts drawer.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Yang let out a chuckle, turning around to find her girlfriend staring at her ass, but as she did, Weiss' gaze shifted upwards, but not far enough to reach her face. "My eyes are up here Weiss."

"Your tits are giving me bedroom eyes." Weiss informed, her gaze glued to the other girl's breasts.

"Maybe they already miss that warm tongue of yours." Yang winked.

Weiss just kept staring, which was kind of hot if Yang was being honest. "Greedy girls, they've had their share."

"Can't blame 'em for wantin' more." Yang purred. "You're an expert with that thing."

Weiss giggled in response. "As you've mentioned before."

"Gotta keep up the encouragement, don't want you thinking I don't appreciate it." Yang smiled.

"Those moans are enough encouragement for me." Weiss noted with a wink.

Yang could not help but laugh, turning her attention back to looking for a pair of shorts. "Gods I've corrupted you."

"I suppose that's something you'll just have to live with." Weiss replied.

Yang smiled to herself. "Oh I intend too, for the rest of my days."

Unbeknownst to her girlfriend, Weiss turned her head to look at Yang, raising a brow. "Is that some kind of proposal?"

"Eloping is _always_ on the table honey." Yang mentioned, pulling a pair of black jean short-shorts from her drawer. Looking over at the previously picked T-shirt, she smiled. _Perfect._

Once again, unseen by Yang, Weiss' gaze fell. "Perhaps someday..."

Yang then chuckled as she stepped the shorts. "Knowing Ruby though, she'd probably stow away somehow."

Weiss joined her girlfriend in chuckling. "That girl would store herself in your suitcase."

"Then complain about being stuck with my panties in her face." Yang continued, trying to contain her laughter as she buttoned up her shorts.

Weiss' chuckle quickly evolved into a full laugh. "Before proceeding to get upset about how we didn't take her with us."

"Then she'll wanna be the flower girl, and the best girl, and the objector." Yang added, grabbing her shirt off the ground and slipping it on.

"And the objector?" Weiss questioned, a hint of worry in her voice. "I thought she loved me."

"Yeah but it's Rubes, she'd want a little bag of drama so things aren't boring." Yang clarified.

"Ah yes, of course." Weiss acknowledged, letting out a slight sigh of relief. "For a moment there you actually had me worried that she either had some secret dislike for me or the desire to add me to her... what did she call it? Her _harem?"_

"Nah she loves ya too much for that, and she loves me too much for that, and she loves them too much for that." Yang explained, turning around to lean against her drawers to wait for her girlfriend to be finished picking an outfit.

Pulling out a pair of pale blue jeans, Weiss smiled. "So full of love that one. I couldn't even imagine having _three_ girlfriends at once."

"Well you know they're not exactly _girlfriends_, more like... partners." Yang clarified.

"Are those not the same thing in this context?" Weiss inquired.

Yang shook her head. "Not exactly. They hate being... _defined_ like that."

"Is this... a new age thing?" Weiss asked as she stepped into her jeans and began pulling them up her pale legs.

"I've got no idea snowflake." Yang admitted. "They've just been burned by bad relationships in the past, so they mostly keep things _light and breezy_ and Rubes describes it. But they're all happy, which is what really matters."

Buttoning up her jeans and sliding on a white belt, Weiss turned back to Yang. "So long as they know that if any of them even _think_ about hurting Ruby, I'll hunt them down." She warned in that assertive voice that her girlfriend loved.

Yang offered a smile. "You don't gotta worry about that Weiss, they all love each other a ton. And I _constantly_ see evidence of it in both the group chat that Rubes made on Harmony and when I'm hanging out with them IRL." She assured as the pair made their way out of the walk-in closet, both now fully clothed. "Though there are times where I _really_ wish they were more private..."

A slight smirk spread across Weiss' face in response. "Don't like hearing your little sister's sex stories?"

Yang sighed. "B Swizzle corrupted her."

Weiss furrowed her brow. _"B Swizzle?"_

"Yeah, B Swizz..." Yang began before trailing off, slowing her pace as the two entered the front hall of the apartment. "Wait, have I never called Blake _B Swizzle_ in front of you before?"

Weiss brought a hand up to her chin in thought. "I don't think so..."

Yang let out a chuckle. "Wait really?" Weiss then shook her head. _Wow_. It was honestly quite the surprise to learn that her girlfriend was unaware of the nickname that she had given her friend. _Oh what a story that was_. After a moment Yang just grinned.

"Well I'll tell you all about it on our way to get some killer surround sound speakers for our new theatre!"

* * *

Practically trudging into her apartment - empty handed - and barely exerting enough strength to shut the front door behind her, Yang made her way into the living room, where she proceeded to just collapse face-first onto the couch with a thud. She then turned her head to the side, which allowed her to breathe properly, and let out a heavy sigh.

_So much for a nice day out..._

While her afternoon with Weiss _began_ as well as any other planned day together did, it sadly did not stay like that for very long... It was almost as if the universe hated her happiness, because even when her girlfriend was not scheduled to work until later in the day, she somehow _still_ got called to come in earlier. It was supposed to be a _part-time_ manager job! Unfortunately that had not been the case recently, as due to it being the summer - which meant no classes for most - the restaurant felt it necessary to practically work Weiss to the bone. Of course she never had any real problem with it, at least in terms of the work load, but it always left them with barely any time to spend together - which was what bothered them both. Nowadays, Weiss was at her job by the time Yang woke up, and not home until dinner... if she was lucky. Most days that was not the case.

What made it worse was even when they _did_ get to spend time together - partially thanks to the _mandatory intimacy times_ Weiss ensured they had - they could not even go out on public dates. Not because either of them were uncomfortable with PDA, or anything to do with money - considering their original plan for the afternoon was to purchase the supplies for a home theatre - but due to the fact that when they originally became a couple, Weiss had requested that the relationship was kept a secret. Of course that was not a huge issue for Yang, even though she had - and still currently did - wanted to _broadcast their love to the world_, but at the same time she respected her girlfriend's wishes, especially considering _why_ Weiss wanted to keep the information from others. Which was the fear of the news of their relationship reaching her mother. And remembering how much of a bigot her father was before he died, neither of them wanted to imagine how her mother might react.

Hell, Yang remembered quite well how difficult and honestly stressful it was for her and Ruby to initially come out to their parents as bisexual and gay respectively. Even though nearly everyone that had the pleasure of knowing Tai and Summer would consider them to be two of the most open and accepting people they had ever met. But still, Yang and Ruby were mere teenagers, unsure of what their parents would truly say. It was why they ultimately decided to tell them together. They felt... _safer_ that way, so that if Tai and Summer did end up reacting poorly, they would at least have each other. Luckily it did not end up being as hard as they originally thought... Actually, it became a rather funny story.

It happened back when Yang and Ruby were both in high school, during a time of experimentation and self-discovery for both of them. A confusing period in their lives for sure, but in the midst of their sexual awakening, the first people they came out to were each other. Especially when comparing to the present day, it was honestly really nice to have another person to talk about that sort of thing with - aside from their partners at the time of course - but they also wanted their parents to know, as it felt almost... _wrong_ to hide such an important revelation from them. While it took some time, the pair eventually planned a time to sit down with Tai and Summer in the living room of their home on a Saturday afternoon - a nice, quiet setting - so they could just... _speak their minds_. Thankfully the actual event of each of them each coming out went _relatively_ smoothly - aside from the initial nervous hesitation - but things took a bit of a strange turn when their mom brought up how they had been holding hands the entire time. Though it was not the observation that made it weird. No, what was weird was what happened next.

After bringing that topic up, their parents proceeded to - and Yang could not make this up even if she _tried_ \- admit that they were afraid that there was _something more_ between the two siblings. Yang attempted to explain, but then Ruby decided to make it worse! The blonde had not even gotten over the shock of having been told something like that by their _parents_ of all people before Ruby spoke up, saying _Well, while we're getting everything off our chests..._

Even to this day, Yang could not figure out how in the world her sister came to be such a ballsy smartass, considering she also decided to wait until Tai and Summer's faces had nearly turned white before laughing and telling them she was joking.

Even in the terrible mood Yang was in, she could not help but smile weakly at the thought.

_What a little shit._

Although, it actually gave her an idea. Yang was going to spend the rest of the day alone anyway, so perhaps she should find out what Ruby was up to, see if she wanted to hang out or something. Yeah, that sounded good. Well, so long as she was not... _busy_ with Blake, or Velvet... or Neo. Damn, for a girl that used to be so introverted, she did have one hell of a game. It almost made Yang feel like she had gotten old, settling down with Weiss like an _adult_.

Shifting onto her side, Yang reached down and pulled her scroll free from her shorts pocket, turning the device on and navigating to her messages. Once there, she selected the text chain with her sister and began typing a new message.

**Yang**: _Hey Rubes, what are ya up to today?_

**Ruby**: _Hiya Yang! Not much until the movie later!_

**Yang**: _Mind if I come hang out with you? Weiss got called in and I'm bored._

**Ruby**: _Sure! Come on over!_

**Yang**: _Omw!_

As Yang slid the scroll back into her pocket, she managed a smile. _Looks like I've actually got something to do today_. Pulling herself up off of the leather couch, she stood up and quickly checked herself out to ensure she was still presentable. Thankfully there was nothing that warranted a change of clothes or the reapplication of any of the small amount of makeup she had on - considering they were out for less than a couple hours - so she grabbed her signature flame-covered motorcycle helmet and headed out.

After a fairly short ride - less than ten minutes, which was always nice - Yang pulled into the parking lot of Beacon University's impressive student apartment complex. It was true that she was there fairly often - due to similar situations to this one - but it always reminded her how large the school really was. Unfortunately that meant parking was always a bit of a pain. Sure there were a lot of spots, but there were also a lot of cars and other motorcycles that occupied said spots. Luckily the search was not too bad today, as she soon located a parking spot that was not _too_ far from the building Ruby lived in. It was a nice day anyway, so the walk would be nice. Once her motorcycle was parked and shut off, Yang dismounted it, took off her helmet - because _damn_ her head was hot in there - and made her way into the building.

One elevator ride later, Yang arrived at Ruby's floor. The metal box chimed, the doors opened, and she stepped off to head down the hallway. The -decor- was fairly bland - just like all the other residence buildings - aside from the colourful accessories on each of the tenant's doors. Considering they were the only parts of the hallway that the university allowed them to decorate, most of the students living there went all out - Well, so long as said decorations were removable for when they moved out. There were stickers, posters, things made out of construction paper, doors covered in wrapping paper - because why not apparently - and even... _Oh wait, that's a sock on that door handle_. Though Yang could not help but grin slightly as she passed that particular door. _Looks like someone got lucky last night._

Upon reaching the red and black-accessory decorated door labelled _Ruby Rose_, Yang provided her signature knock - Well, more just the knock she always used - upon its wooden surface. Barely a couple seconds later, she received an... _odd_ response.

"_Come on in Blakey! It's open_!" Came Ruby's voice from within, sounding... rather excited.

As Yang reached for the doorknob, she froze. _Wait a minute. Blakey? Why would she think..._ She began to wonder before realizing she already knew the answer. _Oh yeah_. Ruby once told Yang that the knock Blake used was similar to hers. Probably due to the fact that they were such good homies. Grabbing the doorknob and opening the door, she stepped into the apartment... and immediately regretted it. Because what she found was something that would burned into her mind for the rest of her days, scarring her for life.

Sitting on the living area couch in the pyjamas were Ruby and Neo, the former lying back against the latter. Normally the sight would have been rather cute - Yang honestly loved to see her sister be affectionate with one or more of her partners, it was adorable - but unfortunately that was not the case this time, due to what they were currently... _engaged_ in. The blonde would have run out of the room screaming if she was not already frozen in horror. While Ruby's hands were not anywhere _unsafe_ so to speak, Neo's... were in places Yang _really_ wished they were not. The mute's left was snaked around her sister's body and positioned around her throat - which would have freaked her out if she did not already know she was into that sort of thing - and the other... was down her pyjama pants, looking like it was just having a _grand_ old time. _Lovely_. Well, thankfully Ruby's pants were not pulled down at all, so she could not actually _see_ anything... aside from Neo's fingers moving underneath the fabric...

_Oh gods this is just as bad!_

A few horrible seconds passed, with Yang somehow unable to move her legs - as hard as she tried to get the hell out of there - before Neo, while still continuing her... _activities_, glanced over at the blonde, offering a smug grin and a wink. Ruby on the other hand was... _enjoying herself_ too much to even notice her own sister standing in the doorway. At least until Neo released her neck, moving that hand up to her cheek and slowly turning her head to face Yang.

Then their eyes met.

And time stood still.

But not at _all_ in the good way.

It was _unimaginably_ awkward.

For everyone except Neo, who began shaking with silent laughter.

_That smug little shit._

* * *

"Alrighty, one medium plain cheese for me, a large Spicy BBQ Chicken for Yang, and one... small with anchovies and garlic for Neo."

Yang grinned as Ruby held out the pizza box, but she did not take it quite yet. No, she had a better idea. "I dunno Rubes, I think I want Neo to serve me my pizza. Only fair after the shit she pulled earlier." The mute in question just pouted as she received her pizza from her partner. Yang shot her a wink, hoping she would get what she requested, as it turned out Neo was actually the mastermind behind the whole situation they found themselves in earlier. She was the one who answered the blonde's texts in the first place - which honestly she should have noticed, since Ruby never spelled anything correctly - so her sister never knew that she was coming over, which of course led to the _horrifying_ sight that Yang would rather not think about it. What was worse was that Neo actually planned to _edge_ Ruby until she got there, and then... Gods she did not even want to continue that thought.

"So having her pay wasn't enough?" Ruby wondered as she continued to hold the box out for her sister, who just sat back against the couch, the grin still present on her face.

"It'll make us even." Yang assured.

"What do you mean? We were even before!" Ruby insisted, forcing Yang to take her pizza before sitting between her sister and partner around the living area coffee table. "Don't you remember that time I came home to our apartment from a class, and found you being full-nelsoned by your boyfriend in the middle of our living room?! I saw _everything!"_

Neo tapped on Ruby's shoulder in response, signing. _That was a dream._

Ruby blinked. "Oh yeah."

Yang laughed as the three began to dig into their respective pizzas. "Didn't know you had those kinda dreams about me. Pretty weird sis."

"Believe me Yang, I _really_ wish I didn't." Ruby cringed. "Velvet had to hold me in the morning. It was horrible."

_She does that anyway_. Neo pointed out.

"Yeah but in a comforting way!" Ruby clarified.

Yang let out a chuckle. "Wow, glad to know I'm horrifying."

"Oh yeah, you're pretty revolting." Ruby laughed before biting into her second slice. "I dunno how Weiss can stand you."

"Shut up and eat your pizza short-stacked muffin top." Yang half-grumbled as she continued eating her own.

"Yaaaaanngg!" Ruby whined, to which Neo silently laughed so hard she almost started to choke. "You were more of a muffin top than me!"

Yang snickered. "Yeah, but then I found sit-ups." She informed, grabbing the hem of her shirt with one hand and pulling it up, exposing her toned abs - which she soon noticed Neo cease her choking to stare hungrily at them. She even licked her lips. _Good gods that girl got horny easily._

Ruby pouted in response. "Meanie." She mumbled as she quietly went back to her pizza.

Yang just grinned, so thankful that she knew exactly how to push her sister's buttons when she started to annoy her. It was one of the many perks of being the _big sister_ in the family. Though it actually made her realize something about the other current occupant of the room: Yang knew next to nothing about Neo. Sure, she was aware that she was mute, took culinary arts, and _somehow_ used to date the _queen bitch_ that was Cinder Fall, but other than that... there was not much. The only things Yang knew about Neo were from the _cliffnotes_ Ruby gave her, as well as little bits of information she gleaned from the group chat when she decided to visit - which was not all too often. It was... _odd_ to say the least, to know so little about a girl that was essentially dating her younger sister, especially when compared to Ruby's other two girlfriends- Er, _partners_.

There was Blake, who was practically family due to them having been best friends for a number of years before all this, and then Velvet, who for the past while had been her _workout buddy_ \- at least when they actually _did_ work out together, as they had fairly different regimes. Then there was Neo, who almost felt like an outlier. Though one thing Yang did notice - and she did not want to judge - was that the mute came off as a bit of a little shit, which _definitely_ did not help with Ruby's sometimes childish nature. It honestly made her feel _old_, the way the two of them just... had fun together without a care in the world.

Unfortunately all of the thoughts about Neo caused Yang to look over at her, where she had the pleasure of watching her eat a slice of that disgusting combination she called a pizza. _Anchovies and garlic... I just don't get it_. Leaning closer to her sister, she nudged her shoulder. "There's something wrong with that girl." She quietly commented.

"You mean _aside_ from trying to get me to finish right in front of you?" Ruby wondered, to which Neo just grinned, her mouth still full of pizza.

"I like Velvet better." Yang noted.

Ruby giggled. "She's with Blakey today."

_So you're welcome to join them_. Neo added. _Just make sure to send pics_. She requested with a wink.

Ruby let out a laugh. "Don't bother with that, Yang's monogamous. Plus Blake already tried making that offer."

Swallowing the last bite of her slice, Yang blinked. "Who in the what now?"

Ruby giggled a bit at her sister's confusion. "Don't worry about it."

Yang furrowed her brow at the comment. "Oh I'm worrying about it."

Ruby just continued to giggle as she noticed partner sign something for her to translate. "Oh, sorry Neo. Uh, Blake wants to b- I'm not translating that!"

Yang sighed. "Gods, what have you two done to poor Blake..."

Neo then nudged Ruby a few times, likely hoping to get her translated, but sadly to no avail. _What the hell did that girl want to say_? Eventually she got fed up, standing up and heading into the other room, where she soon came back from with a notepad. Plopping back down in her spot, she jotted something down in it and turned it around, showing it to the blonde.

_Blake wants to bang you._

Ruby quickly narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Leaning toward her sister, she took a peek at what her partner had written on the pad. "Wait what did you... Neo!"

Yang let out a chuckle at the written statement. "We were best friends for years, we wanted to bang _each other_." She informed. While it was true they had only been friends throughout their time of knowing one another, Yang had to admit, good _gods_ did that girl have a body. But still, she was much happier being best friends with Blake, as they seemed to work much better that way. Although... she could not deny a few fantasies that flew through her mind on those lonely nights... She was only human after all.

Neo's eyes widened at the blonde's answer, frantically signing to her partner. _How in the world did you resist that body?_

"The same way I resist Ruby's." Yang simply answered as her sister began taking a sip of her pop... which she nearly spit out.

"Wait _what?"_

Yang just smirked. "Exactly."

_That doesn't answer my question_! Neo complained with a pout.

"Look at Ruby." Yang requested, to which Neo did, eyeing the younger girl from head to toe.

_Yeah? I see an adorable cookie that needs to be munched on later_. Neo noted, flashing a smirk over at her partner, who's cheeks tinted with a slight blush.

"And now that cookie is your sister." Yang added.

Neo looked again at Ruby, this time with a different expression. _Fair. But what about Blakey? Did you not even fool around at all? How did you resist that body?_

Yang snickered a bit at Neo's disbelief. "Because she was my sister, and every time things felt like more I took a step back. I didn't want to risk losing what we had."

Neo did not respond immediately, instead just staring at Yang while the two sisters continued eating. _You resisted that mouth-watering Bellabooty for sisterhood... I don't get you blondie._

Yang chuckled. "Its a sister thing. Ruby can explain it better."

A few moments of silence followed before Ruby spoke up, and like always, she made things worse. Like the little shit she was. "Sometimes I have to resist coming onto you."

Nearly choking on her pizza, Yang somehow got it down before her wide-eyed gaze snapped to her sister. "WHAT?!"

Another few moments passed before a smirk spread across Ruby's face before she began to laugh. "I'm kidding I'm kidding!"

Grabbing a pillow off the couch, Yang proceeded to throw it directly at her sister's face. Sadly she blocked it. "I hate you."

Seemingly entertained from the exchange between the sisters, Neo wrote something down in her notebook, likely aware that Ruby would not translate whatever she wanted to say. Turning the pad around to show both of them, she grinned. _Does that mean I get to have a turn with her?_

Yang rolled her eyes at the note, though her mouth curled into an amused smile. "Nice try pipsqueak. Plus you'd have to get through Weiss first.

Neo's grin just remained on her face as she turned the page on her notepad and wrote something else down. It took a moment, but once she was finished, she placed the pad onto the coffee table and slid it across to Yang. On the page were two words. Well, two words and a little face.

_Challenge accepted. ;)_

...

_Oh boy._

* * *

Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought! Because as always, your feedback fuels me!

.

P.S.

I think I'm gonna move back to One Last Chance for a few chapters. Not due to getting burned out or not wanting to write this, I'm just so excited to write both of these fics I don't wanna stay away from one for too long. But that also means I won't be on OLC for as long as the last time, maybe 5 chapters max. So I'll be back to this in no time.


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